Oh No Not My Baby: The Best of Maxine Brown

• Artist: Maxine Brown
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1990
• Total Time: 75:01
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

This 28-song CD is undoubtedly the best compilation of this underrated soul singer's work, featuring many of her '60s singles and several tunes from the era that were unreleased until the '80s. This disc draws from her recordings for the Wand label between 1963 and 1967, when Brown was at her artistic peak. Of course the hit title track is a highlight, but there are no clunkers in this excellent collection of overlooked '60s pop-soul, featuring the New York "uptown" production that also graced the records of fellow Wand/Scepter artists like Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson. Brown was one of the most versatile soul divas of the '60s, showing the influence of Brill Building pop, girl groups, Motown, and even Stax soul and supper-club ballads. As with a similar artist like Betty Everett, this versaility has worked against her in some ways. Neither full-fledged pop nor unabashedly soul, her work cannot be easily pigeonholed into a certain soul genre, and has cost her the respect that some purists reserve for "deep" soul singers. But her work holds up well. Collectors should be aware that this disc doesn't include any of the records she cut in the early '60s before joining Wand; the version of her 1961 Top 20 hit "All in My Mind" here is from a live 1964 release, not the original single. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Since I Found You	Maxine Brown, Ed Townsend	Maxine Brown	(2:54)
Gotta Find a Way	Van McCoy, Ed Townsend	Maxine Brown	(2:52)
I Wonder What My Baby's Doing Tonight	Van McCoy	Maxine Brown	(2:25)
Let Me Give You My Lovin'	Maxine Brown, Tony Kaye	Maxine Brown	(2:18)
It's Torture	Harlan Howard	Maxine Brown	(2:32)
One in a Million	Rudy Clark	Maxine Brown	(2:59)
Oh No, Not My Baby (Lyrics)	Carole King, Gerry Goffin	Maxine Brown	(2:35)
You're in Love	Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Joseph Armstead	Maxine Brown	(2:21)
Anything for a Laugh	Bob Stone, Neil Levenson	Maxine Brown	(2:42)
Coming Back to You	James W. Alexander, Ed Townsend	Maxine Brown	(3:01)
Yesterday's Kisses	Herbie Mann, Tony Bruno, Brenda Bruno	Maxine Brown	(2:28)
Ask Me	Tony Bruno, Brenda Bruno	Maxine Brown	(3:32)
All in My Mind	Maxine Brown, Leroy Kirkland, Fred Johnson	Maxine Brown	(5:30)
Little Girl Lost	Lou Harrison, Titus Turner, Luther Dixon	Maxine Brown	(2:13)
I Want a Guarantee		Maxine Brown	(2:16)
The Secret of Living	Paul Vance, Lee Pockriss	Maxine Brown	(2:51)
Baby Cakes	Otis Redding	Maxine Brown	(2:28)
One Step at a Time	Joshie Armstead, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson	Maxine Brown	(2:02)
I've Got a Lot of Love Left in Me	John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins	Maxine Brown	(2:16)
I Don't Need Anything	Paul Vance, Lee Pockriss	Maxine Brown	(2:39)
Oh Lord, What Are You Doing to Me	Bert Keyes, Luther Dixon	Maxine Brown	(3:16)
I Cry Alone	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	Maxine Brown	(2:32)
Funny	Sammy Taylor	Maxine Brown	(2:27)
Misty Morning Eyes		Maxine Brown	(2:48)
Love That Man	Harold Rome, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson	Maxine Brown	(2:35)
Losing My Touch		Maxine Brown	(2:46)
Put Yourself in My Place	Reggie Obrecht, William Drain	Maxine Brown	(2:10)
It's Gonna Be Alright	Carole King, Gerry Goffin	Maxine Brown	(2:32)

Credits

Maxine Brown (Vocals), Peter Gibbon (Liner Notes)