Jackie Ross: 'Take the Weight Off Me'

Jackie Ross' and Little Milton's voices blend beautifully on five duets found on "Take the Weight Off Me," a collection of Ross' recordings in the late '60s and early '70s. They share the same kind of chemistry that Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell did.

There are some gems among Ross' 16 solo tracks, too. Ross, had some success with the perky Motown-like "Selfish One" in the '60s when she was with Chess Records, but I think she sounds way sexier on many of the songs on "Take the Weight Off Me."

Ross sounds both sultry and vulnerable on the slow-burning "I Can't Stand to See You Go." She starts "Need Your Love So Bad" with a bluesy whisper; then, without warning, she erupts, screeching like a female version of Otis Redding. She sounds a bit like a combination of Bettye Swann and Dusty Springfield singing in church on "This World's in a Hell of a Shape" — I've been putting it on a lot of mix CDs for my students and friends lately.

Slick production mars a few songs, but "Take the Weight Off Me" is still required listening for fans of northern soul. It's certainly in heavy rotation at my house.