AMG Review of How Glad I Am/Gentle Is My Mind

Nick Dedina
All Music Guide

Nancy Wilson was one of the biggest stars of the 1960s; until the Beatles came along, she was the biggest-selling artist on the Capitol Records roster. The title track of this singles collection was Wilson's biggest hit of the era and won a Grammy in 1964. While "How Glad I Am" is a tart, country-flavored soul number, the album also features Wilson doing vocal pop, jazz-blues (the juicy, Hammond B-3 filled "West Coast Blues" is the set's best number), R&B, and bossa nova. The title tune remains a favorite of the British Northern Soul scene but most of these numbers haven't endured the way that Wilson's album cuts from the same period have. Though this album is long out of print, almost all of the songs on it can be found on various Nancy Wilson CD collections.