Saturday 29 April 2017

Watchout! – MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS***

I’m Ready For Love/One Way Out/Jimmy Mack/Let This Day Be/Keep It Up/Happiness Is Guaranteed/I’ll Follow You/No More Tear Stained Make Up/Go Ahead And Laugh/What Am I Going To Do Without You/Tell Me I’ll Never Be Alone/He Doesn’t Love Her Anymore

Martha & The Vandellas Watchout! epitomised the contrast between Motown’s singles success and relatively poor album showing. The singles I’m Ready For Love and Jimmy Mack reached No. 9 and No. 10 in the US respectively, whereas this album struggled to a low chart placing. (US:116)

"Fabulous album which really shows Martha's growth as a singer and a music stylist. The Vandellas Rosalind Ashford and Betty Kelly were given some catchy lines in the background.”

“It's widely considered one of the great Motown albums because the material is infectious and Martha absolutely tears apart each song and puts it back together again so dynamically. This woman was a genius at taking undistinguished material and making it unforgettable. Besides having the talent to sock any song over, she was a keen interpreter of lyrics and conveyer of mood, extremely intelligent and without a false note in any of her emotions. Watchout! is a lesson in how to sing.”

Watchout! is a major disappointment. Apart from the two big hits, I'm Ready For Love and Jimmy Mack, and possibly No More Tear Stained Make Up and the brooding He Doesn't Love Her Anymore, the other songs are unmemorable and undistinguished. But then, Martha always sang above the quality of her material. That's her genius as a singer. Her passionate 'tear-your-guts-out' vocals still gives me the shivers and compensate for the lacklustre, dirge-like quality of the tuneless fillers.”

"Watchout! is a real gem and most of the songs are interesting, entertaining and mostly upbeat."

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