SEE AND DON'T SEE

Marie "Queenie" Lyons was a funky soul diva whose powerhouse vocals and raw emotive energy drew stylistic comparisons to many other outstanding female artists of her era, including Lyn Collins, Betty Davis, Marva Whitney, Vicki Anderson, and Ann Sexton. She only released one full-length album (Soul Fever, 1970) that wallowed in obscurity for a number of years alongside her ultra-rare 45s. In more recent years, her material has been reissued, sampled, and comped, allowing a wider audience to become familiar with her work.

"See And Don't See" is the first track on Soul Fever--a heart-wrenching ode to the art of denial as a means of self-preservation. Throw in a funky bassline, a dash of bold, dramatic brass, some seriously soulful belting, a "good God almighty" or two, and you have the makings of a certifiable classic.