The girl "becomes a woman"!
uthungus | San Francisco, CA | 10/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The real phenomenon about this self-titled enigma is that by the end of the sixties to early seventies musical themes were changing drastically for young female vocalists, and (although of course, it wasn't all to Samantha Jones' credit herself) she was "leading the way" out of innocence and in to more "womanly" ballads. Instead of the teen girl worrying about her guy asking her out on another date, it was "the young woman being concerned about whether her young man would still be there in the morning when she awoke....."! Such drama! Also the very charming thing about Samantha Jones' voice was her diction with some of the lyrics - meaning her sometimes pronouncing "L's" and "R's" like "W's". Especially in the songs "Until Tomorrow" - "..millions of faces and `pe-powle' and places; today is left far behind....and I can't remember when...time `und' time again...". Also "In the Morning" "...and if I `faw-ll' asleep I'm `sca-wred' (scared), that in the morning you won't be `the-w-re'..!" All kidding aside, though she did have the capability to be quite belty and powerful in tunes like "Today Without You" and "Taking the Heart out of Love"; but could also be soft and fluffy too like in "I'm Sorry, but I Think I Love You", "It's a Pity that the Ship is Sinking", "Handy" and especially "Come To Me Slowly". She could have taught Claudine Longet how to whisper her songs even more so with this cut, IMO. I'd love to find a clip of the commercial "Ford Leads The Way" since she just has me believing my whole WORLD would change if I owned a Ford...! Another fun thing about the liner notes is all of the photos of her in REALLY SCARY early 70's fashions and hairstyles! Although in summary it may sound like I'm mercilessly teasing in my opinions of Samantha Jones; in reality I really do love her work and style in the evolving scheme of era music!"
Early 1970s offerings by Former Vernons Girl
Randall E. Adams | Los Angeles, CA United States | 04/21/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"For my money, the best part of Samantha Jones' career took place in the mid-1960s. Even so, this album mops up a handful of genuinely good singles produced by Mark Wirtz, including two Pete Dello tunes, a rather hamfisted version of the oft-covered "Do I Still Figure in Your Life?" and a very wonderful "Taking the Heart Out of Love." Both sides of her first single on this set are very fun bubblegum. And a few of the included album cuts like "I Go to Sleep" are topnotch. This collection rates only three stars because there are so many inferior covers of familiar songs, such as "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman," "Which Way You Going Billy?" and a truly grim version of "My Way" that seems to have been included only because it is a personal favorite of the singer's. These are all album tracks. The early 1970s really was not a good era for female pop singers in the U.K., most seeming uncertain whether to move toward a more hard rock direction or retreat into cabaret. Samantha Jones' recorded work suffers from this defect and it is clear from the comments attributed to her in the excellent liner notes that she herself had chosen the cabaret route."
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1