If 1962 had belonged to the Marvelettes, then 1963 would belong to Martha and the Vandellas; this single marked them out not only as worthy recipients of the Marvelettes’ baton as Motown’s number one group, but one of the best new pop groups in the world, full stop.
Remarkable, and wholly excellent. (9)
Neither a travesty nor a masterpiece, it’s a decent pop single with a somewhat irritating lead in the choruses; for a pop group who’d so recently specialised in the extraordinary, this just doesn’t hit the spot. (5)
Nowhere near as interesting as the A-side, lyrically or musically, this is nonetheless much better suited to Kim’s raw, powerful vocal delivery. (6)
A deep and impassioned début, bearing all the hallmarks of her massive later performances, but still rather rough around the edges. (6)
Not as objectionable as the A-side. Still, I can’t in all honesty ever see myself listening to it ever again. (2)
Garbage of such magnitude it almost deserves a category all of its own. (1)
If this was hardly an avenue that Mary Wells’ future career could follow, it’s still a very fine record, and well deserving of its (very brief) time in the chart sun. (8)
Smokey Robinson tries to freshen things up by adding some newer elements – but the mix still isn’t quite right, and accordingly this turns out to be the weakest of his collaborations with Mary Wells to date. (5)
I’m aware that complaining about a jazz vocalist’s caterwauling style being irritating probably marks me down as a “square”, but I’m no jazz aficionado and I just find it annoying. 3
My reaction to this is the same reaction I have to almost all vocal smooth jazz – it’s just not my cup of tea. Your mileage may vary. (5)
Motown Junkies 