MARY WILSON
The Motown Anthology REAL GONE MUSIC
Long overdue celebration of a supreme talent.
By Terry Staunton
Dignity intact: Mary Wilson vital solo output collected
7/10
THE writing was on the wall for Mary Wilson long before “Reflections”, The Supremes’ 1967 hit, and 13th consecutive million-seller. It may have been the first single where the name of the group on the label was prefaced by the words “Diana Ross And...”, but lead vocal opportunities were already scarce – Wilson was afforded the middle-mic spotlight on just three tracks from the trio’s previous half-dozen albums.
Yet, even when Motown founder Berry Gordy stepped back from overseeing the trio three years later to focus on the departing Ross’s solo career, Wilson continued, to a degree, playing second fiddle to Ross’s replacement, Jean Terrell. She’s front and centre for two big-hitters from the post- Diana era, trading verses with Terrell on 1971’s “Floy Joy” and whisperingly seductive on the following year’s “Automatically Sunshine”, and this two-disc compilation sets out to retrieve less lauded performances that fell between the cracks.