Before Diana Ross or Martha Reeves, the queen of Motor City soul was Mary Wells. This album features in her early R&B years before crossing over into a more pop sound in the mid 60s. She had a warm and sensuous voice, always holding back a bit in delicious restraint, drawing you as she leaned away. She had a run of popular juke box hits that are included here, particularly “Bye Bye Baby”, “You Beat Me To The Punch””I Don’t Want To Take A Chance,” “The One Who Really Loves You Now” and the fun “Two Lovers” all making it to the top of the R&B charts and also getting some airplay on popular radio. She also does an impressive version of Smoky Robinson’s “Shop Around” with all of the songs stamped with the patented Berry Gordy sound, but with a little added bluesy smoke and a tad less polish than would permeate the hits of a few years later. For some reason, this early period of Motown ages better than the latter years, maybe because of the doo wop and earthiness of the genre. An important vocal oasis.