ALBUM: “Tale of My Lost Love” by Female Species
RELEASE YEAR: 2021
LABEL: Numero Group
RATING: 9/10
BEST TRACKS: “Tale of My Lost Love,” “Bye Bye Bye” and “Till The Moon Don’t Shine”
FCC: Clean
Review
The new release of Female Species album “Tale of My Lost Love” follows the band from California to Nashville. The tracks on this album start with their garage 60s/70s sound which gradually transitions to 80s/90s country folk-pop. The compilation allows a listener to dive into the whole story of Female Species.
The Female Species started with two sisters, Vicki and Ronnie Gossett. In 1966, as teenagers, they released peppy pop in their home in California. With the culture shift in 70s, they moved into more psychedelia, experimenting with their sound. In the 80s the sisters moved to Nashville and began songwriting in the industry.
It’s so special to be able to see them transform their careers from swinging girl group to prolific songwriters in the Nashville scene. You can hear how Female Species evolves on “Tale of My Lost Love”. For example, the tracks “Chinchilla Hat” and “Chinchilla Cat”. The two songs have the same lyrics but in the second version you can feel the vocals are more soulful and almost bluesy. I really enjoyed how retrospective the compilation is, it feels respectful of the Female Species 55-year journey.
I first heard of the band from La Luz’s cover of their song “Tale of My Lost Love”. The cover came out April 16, 2021. I was enthralled by the harmonies, minimal drums and swinging guitar. After finding the original, I was taken aback by how well the two bands fit each other; La Luz with a fresh modern surf rock sound and Female Species with classic garage rock. I hope the cover increased awareness of Female Species, they deserve all the recognition.
-DJ Lil Witch