Anita Humes “Just For The Boy” (Roulette 4575-B, 1964)

She’s perhaps one of the most innocent and earnest voices in Soul Music. So it’s no surprise that Anita Humes got singled out to give audiences some of the most angst-ridden pop perfections of the early 1960s.

Balancing the strife of love, affections and societal expectations were part and parcel in what made her and The Essex’s breakthrough smash “Easier Said Than Done” so universal during 1963. So it should come as no surprise that throughout her career with her group and separate from it often mined that territory for potential gold.

This 1964 B-Side finds mother’s advice telling Anita to save up for that one that can offer as much as she’s willing to fork over in the sweepstakes of love. More modern and sounding more distaff Dixie Cups than the cha-cha influenced work she had done previously, perhaps this deserved topside status? As it stands in the legion of “Mama Said” songs, it’s a little known gem and a nice time capsule way to close out Women’s History Month.