Ain't No Love Lost

On Vinyl Record Day I was able to do some record shopping, and I hoped to find a handful of items to present that night, but it was not in the cards. Instead I walked away with only a few items. The highlight was five 45s I bought for $2.00, which included this lovely tune by Patti Jo on Scepter, "Ain't No Love Lost". There's scant info on Patti Jo out there. It seems she only had one other record, a 45 on Wand, "Make Me Believe In You / Keep Me Warm". And supposedly she was 16 years old when she made these recordings. And then there is obviously a Curtis Mayfield connection, as he wrote and produced this recording.

"Ain't No Love Lost" chugs along right from the get-go. Underpinning it is the bass, the hi-hat, the ever-present bongos. As Patti's vocals come in, the strings show up, and they really flesh out the tune. And the occassional piano flourishes are a nice touch. The subject matter is Patti's response to her man playing, which can be summed up in: "From you I don't want no part". Along the way she has some great lines, including "Who am I to say / how man are supposed to play?", which gets me every time. I love how the groove is maintained by the bass and hi-hat. The drums are rarely employed, and when they are, it adds a dramatic effect. Very nice indeed.

If anyone has any details on Patti Jo, it would be greatly appreciated.