Laura Lee was from Chicago and signed for the legendary Chess label in the late sixties and then for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Hot Wax-Invictus label, following in the footsteps of Freda Payne, and subsequently released some of her best material in the early seventies. Her voice was strong and gospelly, as you would expect and the backing music to much of her material was muscular and funky in a Stax meets Blaxploitation sort of way.
Although Northern, Lee's soul is very Southern in style. Lyrically, like Shirley Brown, Betty Wright and Millie Jackson, her songs are very much in the "my man gone done wrong again" mode. Like her ex-lover, Al Green, Lee later found religion and became ordained as a minister. Her musical and ideological stance in the early seventies was very much one of women's rights, coming in line with the burgeoning "women's liberation" movement.
Woman's Love Rights is a big, chunky "stand up and fight for your love rights" call-to-arms for Laura's sisters to say no more cooking and sewing until their love rights are acknowledged. Right on, sister. It is full of funky soul and Laura's vocal is superb.
Wedlock Is A Padlock continues in the same theme of female empowerment in the face of feckless men. Laura sounds a lot like Martha Reeves on this vibrant piece of sublime seventies soul. "Wedlock is a padlock when you're married to a no-good man..." she sings. You tell it like it is.
Love And Liberty is a similarly rousing protest number calling for female emancipation. The vocal performance is sensational, and the rhythm is punchily appealing, as are the horn breaks. The backing vocals soar. This is a wonderful track. These three are the most lively, "in your face" pieces of militant female soul on the album. They get it off to a barnstorming start.
In between there was also the excellent, hard-hitting and cynical I Don't Nothin' Old (But Money) and (Don't Be Sorry) Be Careful If You Can't Be Good. The stark realism in these songs is in direct contrast to much female output that had come before. These songs were taking the loved-up innocence of so many sixties pop songs and turning it right on its head. In similar confrontational, questioning style was It's Not What You Fall For, It's What You Stand For.
Also present was a version of the much-covered That's How Strong Love Is, a song also covered by similar-sounding contemporary Tommie Young.
This a truly outstanding serving of raw, down 'n' dirty early seventies message-driven female soul. Top stuff.
Following on from this came Love More Than Pride in 1972, Two Sides Of Laura Lee in the same year and I Can't Make It Alone in 1974. Highlights found on here are At Last (My Love Has Come Along), on Two Sides Of Laura Lee, which is a soaring vehicle for Laura's vocal and Mirror Of Your Soul on I Can't Make It Alone, a saxophone-driven number reminiscent (musically) of David Bowie's Young Americans album. You can't go too far wrong with any of these albums and the sound quality is really good too. Nice, warm seventies bassy stereo.
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