Honey Cone - Soulful Sugar: The Complete Hot Wax Recordings (2001)

Honey Cone, the girl group with the sweet name and the bumblebee persona, didn't masquerade as biker babe wannabes like the Angels, come off as fly foxes like the Ikettes, or fight their battles with tears either. They tell it like it is on "While You're out Looking for Sugar (Somebody's Gonna Take Your Honey and Be Gone)," "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," "Stick Up," "Want Ads," and others written by a consortium of General Johnson, Angelo Bond, and Gregg Perry, with some Edith Wayne/Ronald Dunbar and HDH tracks in the mix. This complete account of Honey Cone's Hotwax recordings features the excellent "Ace in the Hole" twice the long album version with the funky, bubbling break and the single edit. Instead of wailing at an imminent breakup, Honey Cone gets philosophical (i.e., "Sitting on a Time Bomb (Waiting on the Hurt to Come)," "The Day I Found Myself," "It's Better to Have Love and Lost," and "Girls It Ain't Easy"). They show vulnerability behind a strong façade on "Take Me With You" and cloying versions of "Ooo Baby Baby" and "Stay in My Corner." With 45 tracks, this gargantuan collection has enough soulful honey to fill a bee hive.

Tracklist:

Disc One

1-1 While You're Out Looking For Sugar
1-2 The Feeling's Gone
1-3 Girls It Ain't Easy
1-4 Take Me With You
1-5 Take My Love
1-6 When Will It End
1-7 Sunday Morning People
1-8 Son Of A Preacher Man
1-9 You've Made Me So Very Happy
1-10 Are You Man Enough, Are You Strong Enough?
1-11 Aquarius
1-12 My Mind's On Leaving But My Heart Won't Let Me Go
1-13 Want Ads (Long Version)
1-14 We Belong Together
1-15 You Made Me Come To You
1-16 Blessed Be Our Love
1-17 Deaf, Blind, Paralyzed
1-18 The Day I Found Myself (Long Version)
1-19 Stick-Up
1-20 V.I.P.
1-21 One Monkey Don't Stop The Show Part I
1-22 One Monkey Don't Stop The Show Part II
1-23 Don't Count Your Chickens (Before They Hatch)
1-24 A Little More

Disc Two

2-1 Who's It Gonna Be
2-2 All The King's Horses (And All The King's Men)
2-3 How Does It Feel
2-4 Sittin' On A Time Bomb (Waitin' For The Hurt To Come)
2-5 It's Better To Have Loved And Lost
2-6 Innocent 'Til Proven Guilty
2-7 Don't Send Me An Invitation
2-8 Ace In The Hole
2-9 O-o-o Baby Baby
2-10 Woman Can't Live By Bread Alone
2-11 If I Can't Fly
2-12 Stay In My Corner
2-13 Who's Lovin' You
2-14 A Woman's Prayer
2-15 I Lost My Rainbow
2-16 Somebody Is Always Messing Up A Good Thing [Featuring – Sharon Cash]
2-17 The Truth Will Come Out [Featuring – Sharon Cash]
2-18 Want Ads (Original Version)
2-19 We Belong Together (Single Version)
2-20 The Day I Found Myself (Original Version)
2-21 Ace In The Hole (Single Version)