Music |
Ann Peebles: I Can’t Stand the Rain
By
Published: Dec 19, 2022
Category:
Soul
One of the pleasures of loving music is stumbling upon a CD so good it’s like a greatest hits compilation.
“I Can’t Stand the Rain” the 1973 release by Ann Peebles, is like that. Listen to the great music in these videos. From a single record. Each a classic. From start to finish, this is an exceptional collection of songs. Start with a video of Peebles singing the title song.
The bottom line on Ann Peebles: the female Al Green.
I thought that when I first heard this music, all those years ago. My view is unchanged. It will never change. And while the fact that Ann Peebles remains pretty much unknown may be sad for her, it means that anyone who owns and enjoys this music is part of a very sharp cult. [The CD is unaffordable. To buy the MP3 download from Amazon, click here.
Listen to “You Keep Me Hanging On.”
Who is Ann Peebles? She was signed by Hi Records (of Memphis ) shortly before Green. Willie Mitchell, who would supervise all of Green’s hits, was her producer. And he used the same band that would back Green.
Listen to “Breaking Up Somebody’s Home.”
You can understand why Mitchell signed the tiny — "99 pounds of natural born goodness, 99 pounds of soul" — 20-year-old singer from St. Louis. She had what is, for soul music, a classical background. Her father was a minister, her mother was a singer; from early childhood, Peebles sang in her father’s church choir, as well as with the Peebles Choir, a family-centered gospel group founded by her grandfather. And then, in her teens, she performed on the St. Louis club circuit; she knew early how to overlay the passion of gospel onto songs of love and loss.
Listen to “Until You Came Into My Life.”
You’ve heard many of these ten songs; they get covered a lot, and used in soundtracks. But the songs you’ve never heard are just as strong — there’s not a weak cut on the CD.
