Pickettywitch
That Same Old Feeling: The Anthology 1969-1976
(RPM)

It would be easy to dismiss Pickettywitch, as another manufactured 1970s pop group lumbered with an unfortunate and whimsical name Yet that would be underestimating the vocal prowess of its lead singer Polly Brown.

Her breathy, soulful tones came through on well-crafted pop songs such as “That Same Old Feeling” (a top five hit in 1970) and “(It’s Like a) Sad Old Kinda Movie” despite their manager’s insistence that Brown should sing “straight and simple” without any “soulful bends or twirls”.

What is a revelation, though are the solo tracks Brown recorded after she left the group in 1972. The composer credits on her first (and only) album alone are enough to make her stand out from the crowd.

How many UK female singers, for instance, had covered a single song by Muscle Shoals songwriter supreme George Jackson, let alone two of them – “The Feeling’s Right” and “I Can’t Do Without You” as well as Smokey Robinson’s “The Composer”, the Dells’ “Wear It on Your Face” and “Teardrops Will Fall” by US group Dicky Doo & The Don’ts (which was also covered by Ry Cooder).

She also, unluckliy, recorded “Amoreuse” before Kiki Dee, but released it a week later, giving Dee the hit.

More soulful choices emerged during her singing partnership with Tony Jackson as Sweet Dreams including Don Downing’s “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights and Van McCoy’s “Let’s Get into Something” both included here.

But after listening to this double CD you’re left with the feeling of what could have been had James been given the right direction and the right promotion.

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