Various Artists: James Brown's Original Funky Divas

While "producer of female singers" isn't the first job description to spring to mind when the name James Brown is mentioned, the Godfather Of Soul frequently worked in that capacity throughout the '60s and '70s. Brown included female singers in his act pretty much from the beginning, producing their records and assigning them to warm up the crowd before the main event. While few went on to become stars in their own right—and more than a couple left a tour pregnant, married, and/or heartbroken by Brown or one of his band members—they created some awesome soul music over the course of two decades, most of which is collected on this two-disc set. All but two of Original Funky Divas' 46 tracks, many released on CD for the first time here, were produced by Brown himself and backed by his impeccable musicians. Most offer a fascinating alternate view of Brown's craft, and, because contractual restrictions kept him from recording for most of 1963 and '65, the songs from that era provide a rare glimpse of his development during those crucial years. Among the highlights from the '60s material are Yvonne Fair's "I Found You," an early version of "I Got You (I Feel Good)," and Tammy Montgomery's (later known as Tammi Terrell when she famously dueted with Marvin Gaye) "I Cried," an unexpectedly tender ballad that features the uncharacteristic addition of a flute. In fact, the mingling of Brown's unmistakable touches—he even made some of the singers attempt to imitate his vocal style—with others' techniques makes this collection especially revelatory. By the '70s, Brown's music had fully entered its funk mode, and the material on the second disc, mostly by frequent collaborator Vicki Anderson and Lyn "The Female Preacher" Collins, alternates between this style and the more characteristic, string-heavy soul of the early '70s. It includes some of the collection's best moments, with such hits and should-be-hits as Anderson's "The Message From The Soul Sisters, Parts 1 & 2" and Collins' "Think (About It)" and "Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again & Again & Again (6 Times)." While not all of Funky Divas is essential—the 300-pound Elsie "TV Mama" Mae probably made more of an impression in person than on record—this is a terrific collection of unjustly overlooked material.