Ty Karim -- Los Angeles' Soul Goddess - 1965 - 1980

Wonderful work from Ty Karim -- a singer who definitely lives up to the "soul goddess" promised in the title! Ty might not be the biggest name in California soul, but she's a hell of a great talent here -- starting out in the 60s with upbeat Northern Soul groovers -- then moving into the 70s with material that's even deeper, and a bit more sophisticated -- laidback numbers that really show a maturation in style, and which are filled with wonderful twists and turns! Ty's vocals have a burning quality that's quite surprising, given her kittenish look on the cover -- and as the themes get hotter, her singing gets even more righteous -- making the whole package a really wonderful journey in soul. And although most of these numbers were issued (or recorded, but unissued) by tiny indie labels, they often have a very full, spacious approach to production -- one that's really trying to hit the heights of Detroit or New York at the time. A good number of these cuts weren't issued at the time, and together with the rare singles, they really go a long way towards filling in the gaps in Ty's too-short career on record -- further illuminated in the detailed notes from Ady Croasdell. Titles include "Lighten Up Baby", "Help Me Get That Feeling Back Again", "Only A Fool", "All At Once", "Lightin Up", "I Ain't Lying", "You Just Don't Know", "Natural Do", "I'm Leavin You", "All In Vain", "After Your Love Has Gone", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", and "Don't Make Me Do Wrong".