Lady

Lady formed when veteran R&B vocalists Terri Walker and Nicole Wray met and decided to turn their mutual love of classic late-'60s/early-'70s soul into something tangible. Working with the guys (Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman) behind the decidedly retro-soul label Truth & Soul, the ladies of Lady have crafted a sound that is in debt to great records made and released by singers on Stax, Hi, Atlantic, Curtom, or any number of small labels, but with a modern toughness and hip-hop swagger that keep the record from being just an exercise in nostalgia. Though Michels and Silverman employ all the touchstones of classic soul, use real strings and real organs, and make each song sound like a lost hit from a forgotten singer, they don't try to make the record sound like it was actually recorded in 1968. Instead, it sounds clean and powerful, and not like they are trying to fake anything. Walker and Wray sound as real as can be too, investing the songs with so much joy and emotion that one wishes it were actually 1970, so they could become the huge stars they deserve to be. Whether singing together in a powerful hurricane of soul, or singing separately, the duo put almost every other retro-soul performer to shame. Matching a great sound with two amazing singers only gets you so far, though, you have to have the songs to go along with it or it's only half a jam. Luckily, the songs are on par with the other elements of the project. The slinky "I'm Ready," the sweet-as-pie tribute to their Moms, "Sweet Lady," and the strutting "Tell the Truth" all have the feel of radio hits; the Curtis Mayfield-inspired "Good Lovin" is breathtakingly strong, and the two big ballads ("Karma" and "Habit") are complete knockouts, with both ladies totally tearing it up. Everything comes together perfectly on Lady, from beginning to end it's a dream come true for lovers of classic soul; if it had been released in 1970, it would be considered a timeless classic, talked about in the kind of reverent tones reserved for Lady Soul or What's Going On.