eMusic Review 0
With her cute voice and cute looks, Mary Wells was Motown's first superstar and, in addition, she provided a template her successor Diana Ross would take to the bank. But Diana was a glamour-puss while Wells was the girl next door. That's why "My Guy," written and produced by Smokey Robinson, summed her up so well — she was unfussy, even though she was already the label's biggest act. "My Guy" was her final Motown record: she turned 21 shortly after its release and severed her contract, signed at 17, departing for bigger things that never developed. Instead, her legacy is small but acute: the lingering hurt of "The One Who Really Loves You," the big-hearted angst of "Two Lovers," and the appropriately punchy "You Beat Me to the Punch." Compared to many of the folks who stuck with the company, that's slim, but in the time right before the Beatles, it was pretty major.
