Wendy Rene may be a minor player in the expansive discoggraphy of Stax, but her impact long outlasted the mere five years of her musical career. Born in Memphis, She formed an R&B quartet named the Drapels with her brother when she was a teenager. On her way out from a fruitful audition with the group for Stax boss Jim Stewart, she showed him some of her own tunes and snagged a solo contract as well. “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” is her first and most enduring single, famously sampled by Wu Tang (“TEARZ”) and recently by Ariana Grande ("Fake Smile"). Covers by Alicia Keys and Lykke Li were so successful that she bought a house with the proceeds. (Excellent.) “Bar-B-Q” was an attempt at a novelty dance hit, Rene’s shout-singing reminding of (and predating) Michael’s work with the Jackson 5. Her naiveté is perfect match with the minimal, proto-reggae approach to the instrumentation. This two record set includes 11 singles, 9 rarities, and 2 unreleased tracks and is pressed on heavyweight black vinyl. Packaged in a Stoughton 'tip-on' gatefold sleeve with liner notes with a 12x12 booklet with an interview and rare photos. 

• black double vinyl pressing
• "tip-on" gatefold sleeve with images of original 7" labels
• digital download included
• music label: Light In The Attic 2012

reviewed by LOST IN THE STAX 05/2019