jean wells story is not an extraordinary one in the world of soul, although her voice certainly was. her biggest hit >have a little mercy< from 1967 was a glorious slice of deep soul, a plea to a lover, whom she is addicted to, but who doesn t seem to notice. her gospel-trained voice perfectly encapsulating those feelings, whilst a stark arrangement dominated by an ethereal organ and dramatic horn stabs heightens the unbearable effect this man is having on jeans life. yet at the time this record only reached number 25 in the r&b charts, just another bit of genius amongst many, thrown out by the black american music industry at one of its most creative and profligate periods.
jean left us with a fantastic recorded legacy, of which her recordings for clyde otis, which are gathered here, are the choicest cuts.