Hello Stranger: The Best of Barbara Lewis

by

Barbara Lewis

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No singular adjective does justice to Barbara Lewis' voice. Her delivery was silky smooth. And while her sound was somewhat sweet, she had a soulfullness that always kept her recordings from getting sappy. Today, she is mostly forgotten by the general public, which is a huge shame. Lewis had her own niche, somewhere between the light pop sounds of Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick, and the fiery soul of Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.

Hello Stranger is easily the best compilation done on Lewis (it even carries Lewis' personal endorsement as such on the back of the CD and in the enclosed booklet). The twenty recordings cover Lewis' entire career with Atlantic Records (1962-1968). Its (for the most part) chronological order effectively captures her musical development as well.

The first five recordings are all Lewis compositions that were recorded in Chicago. The first three (including the minor hit "Puppy Love") are a bit juvenile but track number four "Hello Stranger" brought Lewis her biggest hit and a more mature sound.

Lewis really came into her own with her New York City recordings made during 1965-1966. "Baby I'm Yours," "Make Me Your Baby," and "Make Me Belong To You" were all sizeable hits that reveal an increased confidence in Lewis' voice.

By 1967, the lower regions of the charts were all Lewis could muster, but the shimmering "I'll Make Him Love Me" and the Carolina beach classic "I Remember The Feeling" show it wasn't due to the quality of the material and the collection ends on a high note with the glorious "Thankful For What I've Got."

The overall choice of recordings for this collection is strong, with Rhino wisely leaving off the cover versions found on other Lewis compilations such as James Brown's "Please Please Please" and Ben E. King's "Stand By Me." Rhino's remastering is typically superior, with "Don't Forget About Me" in particular coming to life like never before.

David Nathan's extensive liner notes are also a big delight as Lewis did very few interviews during her heyday. Perhaps that contributed to her "lost" status in the music world. Do yourself a favor by getting this collection and discovering or revisiting the special sound that is Barbara Lewis.