Little Ann - Deep Shadows

The Good Thing selection for December 2023:

For those of you who have been to Little T, you know that we play and sell records down there - the impetus for this very club! When we opened the bakery, we didn't even think twice of doing anything different and of course built out a record shelf and cabinet for our record player. You know what records don't like? Flour! And at the bakery, there is SO much flour. For how busy we get at the bakery, the switch to streaming music didn't feel so bad except for one thing - I could never find my absolute favorite record that we constantly played thanks to Briana sharing her collection and that record is this one - Little Ann's Deep Shadows. I truly will not forget the first time it spun at the bakery. Little Anne's voice immediately rings out on the first and titled track, so raw and so emotive, and carries you through each song and every heartache throughout the album. In doing some research as to why I could not find the album on Spotify, I learned that Little Ann's career never really launched. An entire album's worth of amazing tracks was recorded and produced by Dave Hamilton in 1967 only to have one song released a few years later. The only place the world would hear Little Ann's songs was in a compilation of songs called 'Dave Hamilton's Detroit Dancers' in the late 90's. This compilation is the one thing I could find in my Spotify searching which I would then piece together Little Ann's songs. It's been years of my deep love for Little Ann and patching together playlists of her songs. I've been begging Willie to get this album for The Good Thing, but just like on Spotify it proved to be elusive and difficult to come by, but we're finally in luck! He finally found it for us in the Mr Bongo catalog and now I couldn't be more excited to share Little Ann's Deep Shadows with you in its entirety, as it should be heard. She even sounds better on vinyl, the pops and crackles will be fitting and match those in her voice. You're welcome! - Kathleen 12/5/23