Drop the name Kiki Dee into any musical conversation and the uninitiated will probably remind you of her duo with Elton John plus a couple of hit singles here in the UK for the Rocket label. Anyone in the know will tell you a different story, one of great cover versions of soul classics and her LP for Berry Gordy's Motown empire including the single 'The Day Will Come Between Sunday and Monday' in 1971. Kiki's career began during the middle sixties where she recorded a superb piece of pop/northern soul for the UK Fontana label entitled 'Magic Carpet Ride' as well as her rendition of 'I'm Gonna Run Away From You' a song originally released on Tammi Lynn back in 1965 on the Atlantic label both of which are now very scarce and extremely collectable.
Whilst 'Great Expectations' her vinyl release at the beginning of the seventies is not one of the greatest collections to come out of Detroit but what is does represent is an appreciation of US soul tunes by our own singers here in the UK most notably by the late Dusty Springfield who recorded a number of classic soul covers during her long career. The aforementioned single release did little to impress the UK buying record public at that time although the single was very much in vogue with what was happening with the 'new' sound of Motown and whilst it did gain some local interest in and around the Manchester area at that time it quickly died without trace and the album became just another one to have for the Motown completist.
2005 has been a very important year for Motown re-issues and this mid price CD really needs looking at again and putting under the microscope to see just what we all missed all those years ago. OK so there are cover versions a plenty but lets not forget for a start that backing for this was by the Funk Brothers making everything else thereafter a bonus. Check out Kiki's version of Deon Jackson's classic song which is the title of this CD and for me is the one song that keeps me hitting the replay button - check out the fabulous lazy bass line and piano tinkling together with a gorgeous all-round arrangement making this one of two stand out cuts from the CD.
Kiki also covers the Ashford & Simpson composition 'Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing' and Rita Wright's 'I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You' and David Ruffin's 'My Whole World Ended' and a most credible rendition of Dusty Springfield's 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' again with a most prominent bass line. Please allow me to draw your attention to track 14 on this disc entitled 'I'll Try Something New' which uses the same Funk Brothers backing track that Barbara McNair used for her version on her recent anthology double set and whilst vocally this version is not as good as McNair's, the backing track is pure magic.
The CD contains the 'Great Expectations' LP in its entirety plus two bonus tracks from the original LP 'Kiki Dee' including the aforementioned Smokey Robinson composition as well as a version of 'I Second That Emotion'. There are also four unreleased songs tagged on the end of the disc including versions of Dionne Warwick's classic 'Walk On By', and Jackie de Shannon's 'Put A Little Love In Your Heart' although neither are heart stopping covers. The best of the unreleased songs must be 'Mr Loneliness' which is given a boost by some neat playing by the Funks and a memorable hook line.
A fabulous CD for those wishing to add this collectable LP to their collections for around £6.99.
Rating 7/10