The Sweet Inspirations

★★★★

Let It Be Me: The Atlantic Recordings (1967-1970) SOULMUSIC. CD

“The pillars of the Atlantic Church Of ’60s Soul,” according to Jerry Wexler.

This Atlantic line-up of The Sweet Inspirations provided gospel-rich backgrounds for Aretha and Elvis, but between 1967 and 1970 the quartet – Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown and Sylvia Shemwell – also recorded five albums. These, bookended by The Sweet Inspirations and Sweet Sweet Soul, are collected here alongside what was their intended sixth album, produced by Dave Crawford and Brad Shapiro and featuring Houston’s replacement Ann Williams. The majority of the material comprises covers – Why (Am I Treated So Bad), What The World Needs Now Is Love, That’s How Strong My Love Is and so on – their versions fusing Southern harmony, Memphis feeling and soulful innovation. However, their sole US pop hit, the swooning Sweet Inspiration, was written specifically for them by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.