Hard Times

Bobbie Gentry’ “Fancy” and Marlene Shaw’s “The Spice of Life” are both just as sweet as they are bitter.  Bobbie Gentry kicks off with “Fancy”, a story of a hopeless woman in the countryside who’s only hope for her daughter is to pimp her out.  Marlene Shaw’s “Woman of the Ghetto” points fingers back at legislators speaking harsh truths that create impossible decisions for a hopeless mother.

Both albums talk about heartbreak, but still getting off on it on Gentry’s “He Made a Woman Out of Me”, and Shaw’s “Go Away Little Boy”. “Find em, Fool em, Forget em” is some pretty raw advice from Bobbi Gentry’s dad to use em up than kick em out.  Both albums definitely paint a picture that isn’t always pretty, but neither artist is asking for pity.