Dee Dee Simon [2020] - What's Left To Give (After Givin' It My All) [Raza del Soul]

This is an artist I raved over in March 2020 when I first came across a few of her recordings, check out that post here.  There's some background info on her at Taste Of Oakland.

This is her latest offering released on 27 Nov 2020, a cover of a track recorded by The Whatnauts in 1970, and it certainly doesn't disappoint.  It's great to hear someone actually sing 'properly' not the insipid, inane, auto-tuned R&B nonsense that is so prevalent with many neo soul artists who all sound the same to me and thus their music is lost in 'the mix'. They don't stand out sufficiently to seek out other material from them or their music is littered with profanities and/or sexuality in a vain (and vain) attempt to get them noticed.  It's reasuring to see upcoming artists like Dee Dee Simon and TanQueray Howard getting recognition.

The Whatnauts [1970] - What's Left To Give (After Giving It All) [Stang #ST 5018]

Here's the original version from The Whatnauts. It was their third single and was released in Oct 1970 and 'criminally' didn't even enter the US R&B charts.  I have to admit though, that I do I prefer Dee Dee's version. 

The song was written by Wesaline Kerr (aka Hopson), the wife the legendary producer George Kerr, who also produced the track. It's quite fascinating following the links as for the 'True Soulies', she also wrote some other fabulous tracks incuding Whatnauts - 'Instigating (Trouble Making Fool)', Skull Snaps - 'My Hang Up Is You', The Hesitations - 'Is This The Way You Treat A Girl', Barbara Jean English - 'Guess Who' (curiously quite similar to  Martha & The Vandellas - Love, Guess Who), Derek Martin - 'How Can I Get Away', Debbie Taylor & The Hesitations - deep soul cut 'All That I Have'.