I'll Try Something New

I’ll Try Something New is a paragon of a forgotten period, a time in the early '60s when doo-wop was cresting and the sound that would come to be known as “soul” was not yet fully formed. People mistakenly think of this pre-Beatles era as a time of simple, innocent music, but the Miracles were exceptionally versatile. Their sophomore LP is remarkable for number of styles it manages. “A Love That Can Never Be” is pure doo-wop, “He Don’t Care About Me” is sassy girl group, “On the Street Where You Live” is big band, and “I’ve Been Good to You” and “This I Promise, I Swear” are insistent, insurgent pieces of deep Southern soul. The early Miracles were a powerhouse — they could do it all. And in the midst of it all, they created their own signature sound, exemplified by “What’s So Good About Goodbye,” “If Your Mother Only Knew,” and the title song, perhaps the most gorgeous, haunting recording of the early Motown years. Throughout, the performances shake with the early Motown production style — electrifying, even as it seems to surge from a room no bigger than a broom closet.