Carla Thomas: Gee Whiz

By

C. ANDREW HOVAN,

C. Andrew Hovan

Columnist - Since 1999

An avid audiophile and music collector, Hovan is a Cleveland-based writer/photographer and regular contributor to AAJ, Cleveland Scene, and Down Beat.

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Published: August 1, 2002

While the current teen set may be too busy choosing their next American Idol live on television or too young to care that every generation has its own iconic favorites, those with a few more years under their belts will likely remember a 16-year-old Lesley Gore singing “I’ll Cry If I Want To” to scores of bobby soxers in 1963. A few years earlier, Carla Thomas would have her own hit record while just barely out of high school and in return would put the small independent Stax label on the musical map.

Daughter of Memphis R&B legend Rufus Thomas, Carla’s Top 10 charting “Gee Whiz” has been available on various compilations, but this is the first time the entire album of the same name has been reissued. While some of the tracks sport dated strings and background vocals, it’s Carla’s honest and mellifluous approach that shines through, and without the sort of overblown histrionics that plague more than a number of today’s pop idols.

Track Listing: Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes), Dance With Me, A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, Your Love Indeed, Fools Fall In Love, To The Aisle, The Masquerade Is Over, A Love Of My Own, Promises, It Ain't Me, For You, The Love We Shared, Promises (alternate version)

Personnel: Carla Thomas (vocals) with rhythm section, strings, and vocal chorus

Record Label: Fantasy Jazz | Style: Fringes of Jazz