Funk my Soul

Mr.Moo’s new contribution is just perfect.

Oh my God, Natalie Cole’s debut is just SLAMMIN’. Aretha Franklin, it looks like you have a princess of Soul in your court. Produced by Marvin Yancy (single and pretends he’s married, according to Natalie Cole herself) and Chuck Jackson (Married and pretends to be single, Also according to Natalie Cole), this album features some of her greatest cuts and vocals ever to be waxed. “Needing You” starts it off with a little “Shaft”-like groove then it mellows out into its own thing. the cuts, “This Will Be”, “Inseparable”, “I Can’t Say No” and the powerful “You” are the album’s centrepieces. A beautiful work of art that fully deserved the Grammy in 1976.

This is a @320 vinyl rip (supplied by Mr.Moo) including covers.

Tracks
A1 Needing You 2:45
A2 Joey 2:57
A3 Inseparable 2:26
A4 I Can’t Say No 3:30
A5 This Will Be 2:50
B1 Something For Nothing 2:57
B2 I Love Him So Much 3:24
B3 How Come You Won’t Stay Here 3:03
B4 Your Face Stays In My Mind 2:45
B5 You 3:30

Review by Steven Riggs (SoulTracks)

Natalie Cole has had the type of career and longevity that is the envy of nearly any musical artist.  Cole has been making music for some 30+ years and shows no signs of slowing down.  And one the most critically acclaimed debut of the mid-seventies, the newly re-released Inseparable,  proved to be the beginning of a phenomenal singing career that would encompass the genres of R&B, pop, jazz, and gospel.

Inseparable exploded onto the music scene, garnering Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.  The excitement of Inseparable came with the fact that the daughter of Nat “King” Cole was thrilling audiences with her overwhelming vocal energy and fire.  Some critics even suggested that Natalie Cole was the new “Queen of Soul,” a comparison with Aretha Franklin that sometimes generated unwanted pressure and public backlash for Cole.  Despite all the attention Inseparable received, one fact remains: Natalie Cole released a debut album that stood the test of time. Inseparable is still full of the same vigor it possessed some 32 years ago.

Most legendary vocalists have their signature hits, and one of Natalie Cole’s is “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” which is among the most remarkable debut singles ever.  From the gospel piano intro to Cole’s soulful hums to the memorable lyrics and instrumental transitions, “This Will Be” was an excellently arranged track that became Cole’s first #1 R&B smash and remains a force on R&B and pop radio (and now serves as the theme song for eHarmony.com).  The title track, a heartfelt love ballad that became her second #1 single, is also an R&B classic largely due to the fine arrangement and Cole’s emotional vocal performance.  Classics like “Joey” and “I Can’t Say No” still receive airplay on R&B adult contemporary and quiet storm formats.   And tracks such as “Something For Nothing” “I Love Him So Much” and “How Come You Won’t Stay Here” showcase Cole’s relentlessly soulful vocals, combining to make Inseparable an astounding debut.  The final cut, “You” begins with Natalie’s sexy dialogue and evolves into a heart wrenching ballad where Cole lets loose vocally and emotionally.  This cut would later be covered by none other than Aretha Franklin. Thanks to the superb writing and production team of Chuck Jackson and the late Marvin Yancy and Cole’s unrestrained performance, Inseparable proved to be the beginning or continuation of a great musical legacy.

After Natalie Cole’s success with Inseparable, she went to record a string of highly successful gold and platinum albums as well as topping the R&B charts four more times and scoring numerous R&B and pop top ten hits.  Most recently, Cole recorded the Grammy nominated Leavin’, which was a return to her soulful roots.  Ironically, a track on that album, “The More You Do It, (The More I Like It Done),” pays homage to her classic hit “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).”  One could say that Natalie Cole’s career has gone a highly successful full circle.  I would say that the circle is no where near complete and we have yet to hear more of the wonder of Natalie Cole.  The best is yet to come.  It is gratifying to listen where Natalie Cole’s musical journey began on Inseparable.  To those who have never heard this album, you are in for a “real” soulful musical experience. Highly recommended.
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You can’t miss with Philly Sophistisoul right !! And yet another obscurity that is hard to accept as such - surfacing for your seasoned palate, demanding only the best. True Reflection are a high calibre quartet that recorded just the one LP, but truly seize their moment to leave a mark reeking of quality. Boasting both incredible tenor and falsetto leads, and exceptional harmonies, you really cannot fail to be impressed when the songs are as good as this.

Tracks
A1 Whisper 5:00
A2 That Was Yesterday 3:25
A3 Society 4:20
A4 What You Don’t Know 2:30
B1 It Really Hurts 4:00
B2 Helpless Man 5:00
B3 That’s Where I’m Coming From 2:40
B4 Look At All The Lonely People 4:40

Review by Trakbuv

Another volatile star that blazed for one album and then imploded, scattering its components to the far reaches of the soul galaxy. And in “Where I’m Coming From”, paraphrasing from the movie Bladerunner, True Reflection ’shone so very brightly’. With roots in Washington DC, the quartet came together at the mighty Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, PA. And under the august auspices of arrangers Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and Vince Montana, an assured seam of quality was ingrained into the vinyl. And to add to the mix, True Reflection were no strangers to the recording studio themselves. Glenn Leonard had been a member of The Chancellors (recall ‘All the way from Heaven’), The Instant Groove, and The Unifics. Joe Blunt had also been with The Chancellors. The remaining two members, Joe Coleman and Bobby Cox do not seem to have any obvious musical connections prior to True Reflection.

However, True Reflection did provide a springboard for their musical careers. Glenn Leonard went on to replace Damon Harris as first tenor and lead singer of The Temptations (1975-83), with possibly his most notable lead on the single ‘Power’.  Jo Blunt joined The Drifters in 1975 just as their popularity soared in the UK with popcorn numbers like ‘You’re more than a number’ and ‘Hello happiness’. He featured as lead on several tracks including ‘Like a movie’ and ‘When you coming home’.   Joe Coleman went on to form part of The Persuaders line up (1974-75) and later teamed up with his brother William, and Richard Gant (another ex-Persuaders who had been replaced by one Howard Kenney), to form Mirage. In 1978, they released an excellent LP in their own right entitled ‘Princes of Love’.

Back to 1972, True Reflection release their debut single “Beer Cans and Empty Hands” b/w “Silent Treatment” (Atco 45-6905) to a thunderous silence. The following year they follow it up with a long player utilising the same writing/production team responsible for their 7″, namely Bob Currington, T. Lester, W. Lester, R. Brown and Joe Blunt. Some may recognise these as the same dudes that kicked up a storm for The Modulations on their ‘It’s Rough Out Here’ LP. And for me, a comparison in formula of funky burners and sweet ballads can be readily drawn between the two high calibre sets.

“Whispers” is a wonderful introduction to the band, a gritty blend of Norman Whitfield and the Sigma Sound, with fabulous lead vocals and harmonies all neatly tied up with a message to the music - probably my favourite track. “That was yesterday” drops the pace to deathly slow with a sombre falsetto, all recalling The Chi-Lites in structure - very impressive. “Society” packs another political punch with a growling lead brooding over a smart synclavier groove. “What you don’t know” is a delightful urgent falsetto-led dancer, and the falsetto is maintained for the tuneful ballad “It really hurts”. This really carries a potfull of stardust in its exquisite tenderness - unbelievably good. The tempo drops a touch for the lovely “Helpless man” boasting terms of endearment like ‘I need you baby like a clock needs his hands’. The skipping “That’s where I’m coming from” provides a slightly more commercial edge to the proceedings, but still wonderful in its own brief way - and a real throwback to the essence of popular soul music of the time. The dramatic “Look at all the lonely people” is another very pretty ballad, if slightly saccharined by its sentiment.

For me, there really are no weakness in the whirl on either side of the platter. Fabulous vocals, exceptional harmonies and great, if not entirely memorable, tunes conveying some thoughtful lyrical content. Another startling reminder of how high the bar stood in the early part of the seventies. But also a very lamentable stinging pinch of the number of high quality bands that came and went with little or no public regard. ‘And then they disappeared like tears in rain.’

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Buy the CD from Amazon and the vinyl from Groove Collector or Ebay

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The power behind this outfit was Detroit singer/label owner Johnnie Mae Matthews.  Matthews had recorded some solo sides, but by the mid-1960s had shifted her attention to the business side of the house operating a series of small Detroit labels such as Art, Audrey, Big Hit, Jam, Northern, Reel, and Tank.  In 1968 son/drummer Artwell (Art) Matthew and bassist/cousin Mark Patterson started the band Raw Integrated Funk (Ted Nugent was an early member).  Matthews also signed on as their manager and steered them towards a more soul/funk direction as Black Nasty.  The band went through a steady stream of personnel changes an by the early-1970s was largely a family affair with Art and Larry supported by lead guitarist Jackie Cosper  keyboard player  Michael Judkins, sister/singer Audrey Matthews, singer Alice Myers, and keyboardist Larry Thomas.

The group made their recording debut with a 1971 single on Matthew’s Tank label:

- 1971’s ‘You Keep Me Hanging On‘ b/w ‘You Keep Me Hanging On (instrumental)’ (Tank catalog number TY 002)

The single did well in Detroit and with support from Stax songwriter Sir Mack Rice the band sign with Stax’s Enterprise subsidiary which released three singles and an album before dropping them in 1975 shortly before the label collapsed in bankruptcy.

- 1971’s ‘Black Nasty Boogie (Parts 1 and 2) (Enterprise catalog number 9039)
- 1972’s “Rushing Sea‘ b/w ‘Getting Funky Round Here’ (Enterprise catalog number 9054).
- 1974’s ‘Talking To the People‘ b/w ‘I Must be In Love’ (Enterprise catalog number 9098)

1975 saw the band release another one-shot single on Matthew’s optimistically named Big Hit label: - ‘Party On 4th Street (Parts 1 and 2)‘ (Big Hit catalog number TC 0125)

Tracks
A1. Got To Move 2:50
A2. It’s Summertime 2:58
A3. I Need Love 3:20
A4. Look What You’ve Done 3:05
A5. Maybe Your Baby 3:25
B1. Bicentennial Rock & Roll 3:05
B2. Within 5:35
B3. No Deposit, Not Return 2:15
B4. Unlucky Love 2:10
B5. Space Boogie 2:45

Review by RDTEN1

Dropped by the Stax-affiliated Enterprise label after releasing an LP as Black Nasty (1973’s “Talking To the People“), in 1976 the band reappeared as The Nazty.  Signed to the Nashville-based Mankind imprint, they made their label debut with 1976’s “I Got To Move”.  Musically the album featured a largely original collection of material and while there wasn’t a great deal of originality on these ten tracks, the performances were uniformly energetic and enthusiastic. The few online reviews draw a comparison to George Clinton and the Funkadelic/Parliament empire, but to my ears that was a poor comparison since these folks were far more commercial and conventional (plus most of the songs featured Audrey Matthews handling lead vocals).  Regardless, it made for one of those rare albums where the band sounded like they were having fun during the recording sessions.  One of the curiosities on this album stems from the fact they were great when it came to up tempo funk numbers like Got To Move” and ‘Maybe Your Baby, but thoroughly sucked on the ballads like ‘Look What You’ve Done’.

- ‘Got To Move‘ opened the album was a roaring slice of Sly-styled funk.  Kicked along by Audrey’s in-your-face vocal and a great Larry Graham-styled bass line from Mark Patterson, this one was simply fantastic.  Should have been a massive hit for the band.

- A rollicking, breezy, summer-ready track, ‘It’s Summertime‘ had it all going …  great melody, fantastic hook, nice male/female lead vocals, and super cheesy synthesizers.  This was another one that should have been a massive hit for the group.
- Showcasing Audrey on lead vocals, ‘I Need Love‘ was a pretty, but pedestrian ballad.  The problem with this one was Audrey didn’t seem particularly comfortable with the song’s key and her vocals sounded strained and barely in tune.  This one was almost painful to listen to as you weren’t sure she was going to make it through the tune.
- The album’s second ballad, ‘Look What You’ve Done‘ made it clear slower numbers weren’t their creative strength.  There was a song in there somewhere, but the combination of a flat vocal and the absence of a good hook left it as an also-ran composition.
- Turning Stevie Wonder’s ‘Maybe Your Baby‘ into a rollicking slice of funk was actually a great idea resulting in one of the first side’s highlights.
- Side two opened up with the album’s most unusual performance and the standout performance.  Harkening back to their rock roots, ‘Bicentennial Rock & Roll‘ was literally a fantastic rock sound.  The Bus Boys would have killed for a track this good.  Anyone who didn’t think a black band could rock needed to hear this one …
- Following the standout performance, ‘Within‘ found the band trying another ballad.  As you’d expect, the results were lukewarm with the song never really gaining much momentum though Jackie Cosper turned in some nice acoustic guitar work towards the end of the song.
- ‘No Deposit, Not Return‘ was a classic slice of stomping funk with a killer hook in the title track refrain.  Slinky and instantly memorable, these guys could pump certainly crank it up.   The song also had another killer lead guitar performance from Copser.
- Kicked along by some gurgling synthesizers, ‘Unlucky Love‘ was a tasty dance number.  With a great refrain it was one of the more commercial efforts on the album.
- As mentioned earlier, the few brief online reviews you’ll find for this album compare them to George Clinton and the Funkadelic/Parliament family.  The one exception where the comparison held some merit was the closer ‘Space Boogie‘ which actually did sound a little bit like Clinton and company had they had any interest in scoring top-40 exposure.  Propelled by Patterson’s bass, the result was a heavy funk monster that was virtually impossible to resist.  Cosper also happened to turn in his best solo on this one.

The album was also tapped for a pair of singles:

- 1976’s ‘It’s Summertime’ b/w ‘Look What You’ve Done’ (Mankind catalog number 12024)
- 1976’s ‘I Got To Move’ b/w ‘Maybe Your Baby’ (Mankind catalog number 12026)

All in all a nice surprise.  I’ll have to track down a copy of the debut album.

With the album vanishing into thin air, the band subsequently morphed into The ADC Band.

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Buy it from Batcatrecords or Groove Collector

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Brenton Wood’s charmingly unpredictable phrasing and his infectious sense of good times made the smooth uptown soul of “The Oogum Boogum Song” and “Gimme Little Sign” into hits in 1967. Despite his skill as a pop-soul vocalist, Wood was never able to match such heights again, yet those two songs became genuine R&B classics of their era.

Getting it while the getting was good, Double Shot records issued this LP the same year they dropped Oogum Boogum. “Gimme  Little Sign,” which was also included on Oogum Boogum, exploded worldwide and “Baby You Got It” had the same potential. An organ is the most dominant instrument on these half-baked but likable tracks. The songs are bubblegum-ish lyrically and musically but are not nearly as inane as the idiocy Buddah records was releasing on Ohio Express, 1910 Fruitgum Company, and others; besides, you can’t help but admire Wood’s vocal aerobics (AMG).

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Double Shot Records LP including covers

Tracks
A1 Baby You Got It 2:00
A2 Me and You 2:40
A3 Ooh-La-Da-Dee 2:00
A4 Darlin’ 2:32
A5 Give It Up 2:10
A6 Catch You on the Rebound 2:12
B1 Gimme Little Sign 2:19
B2 Trouble 2:28
B3 Little Happy-Go-Lucky Girl 2:38
B4 Need You Girl 2:30
B5 Two Time Loser 2:00

Review by RDTEN1

In the wake of Brenton Wood’s significant chart successes with the singles ‘The Oogum Boogum Song’ and ‘Gimme Little Sign’ it was only natural that record label management would push for a rapid follow-up.  Wood’s second release within the last twelve months, “Baby You Got It” did little to tamper with the basic formula that made his earlier release such a pleasure.  Unfortunately, even though the album continued Wood’s collaboration with producers/writers Joe Hoveen and Hal Winn, the short turn-around and pressure for more material was apparent across the album’s dozen tracks.  At least to my ears, a couple of the songs sounded like unfinished demos (’Ooh-La-Da-De’), while other performances sounded dated as if they’d been pulled out of the tape archives (’Me and You’).  That wasn’t to imply the album was a waste. Much of the collection underscored Wood’s artistic strengths, including a playful voice that was instantly identifiable and a sense of enthusiasm that you seldom came across.  Exemplified by material like ”Baby You Got It’, ‘Give It Up’, and ‘Little Happy-Go-Lucky Girl’ the set offered up another attractive collection of Southern California-influenced pop-soul.  Unless you’ve heard it, the hybrid’s hard to accurate describe - too pop to be consider true soul, and too soul to be considered true pop - you’ll frequently see it referred to as ‘brown eyed soul’.  Elsewhere, featuring an autoharp solo (not your everyday soul instrumentation), ‘Catch You On The Rebound’ and the surprisingly bluesy ‘Trouble’ stood as personal favorites.

- Blessed with a great pop-soul melody and an instantly infectious chorus,  ‘Baby You Got It‘ was the album’s standout performance.  As good as anything on the debut album, it was easy to see why Double shot tapped it as the collection’s debut single.  Shame it wasn’t longer.
- Apparently meant as a tribute to his 1950s musical roots, ‘Me and You‘ was a period piece ballad.  While it was interesting to hear Wood employ a crystal clear falsetto and a spoken word segment, the song was simply too old fashioned for pop-soul fans
- Featuring a double tracked vocal, one channel showcasing Wood in an uncomfortable falsetto, ‘Ooh-La-Da-De‘ could have been another classic, but instead sounded stark, somewhat clumsy and incomplete.  To my ears it’s always sounded like an early demo.   Not nearly as smooth as some of the other tracks, but still worth hearing.
- Another ‘retro’ sounding, ‘Darlin” has a more distinctive late 1950s’ soul feel.  Kicked along by some Farfisa organ and a nice bass pattern, imagine a younger Solomon Burke with a Southern California background
- Offering up one of Wood’s trademarked, breezy pop-soul performances, ‘Give It Up‘ was clearly a throwaway track.  Musically there simply wasn’t a great deal to the song, the band finding a small groove and locking into it for two minutes while Wood vamped over the top, but his upbeat performance made it a winner.
- There was no denying that ‘Catch You On The Rebound‘ was little more than a reworked version of some of his earlier efforts.  That said, the harpsichord and flamenco guitar backing gave the song enough flavor to make it enjoyable.   Would have made a strong single.

- While there was no doubt it was a great song, the decision to include ‘Gimme Little Sign‘ was kind of a mystery since it was featured on the debut album.  Guess they needed to pad the album’s running time.
- Unlike anything else on the album and one of two tracks that wasn’t written by Hoveen and Winn, ‘Trouble‘ was a dark and disturbing blues number.  Featuring Farfisa organ and acoustic guitar, the initial impact was jarring (where was happy face Brenton Wood?), but the end result was one of the album’s most impressive performances.  Double shot came back to it as a single in 1968.
- The other ‘outside’ composition, ‘Little Happy-Go-Lucky Girl ‘ provided another performance highlight.  In spite of the title, this one offered up a somber, mid-tempo ballad with Wood using his best pleading voice to try to woe a reluctant woman.  Nice !!!
- For some reason the combination of Wood’s voice and acoustic guitar has always struck me as being very attractive.  In this case ‘Need You Girl‘ was a sweet, low-keyed ballad with a great and totally unexpected spacey organ break .
- ‘Reaching back for the same creative ingredients, ‘Two Time Loser‘ was another heartfelt, acoustic guitar powered ballad.  Even better than the earlier ‘Need You Girl’.
- Closing the album, ‘Goodnight Baby‘ was another song that sounded like an unfinished demo to my ears.  The song was nice enough with the lyric about a sleep walking girlfriend putting on a robe to come see him bringing a smile to my face, but would have been even better with a bit more production support.

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Mike James Kirkland may be a new name to some of you, and to many of you, only through a recent archaeological find in “Hang on in there”, a throwback to Marvin’s “What’s going on”, although made independently (and prior to) that particular milestone. Well here is his follow-up LP from 1973, “Doin’ It Right” the slightly scruffier partner to “Hang On In There”, but just as intensely satisfying.  Socially and romantically inclined mellow jellow from the top drawer.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Bryan LP including covers

Tracks
A1 Got To Be Right 3.55
A2 It’s Too Late 4.10
A3 O Me O My (I’m A Fool For You Baby) 4.20
A4 You Put It On My Mind 3.50
B1 Doin’ It Right 8.15
B2 Love Is All We Need 4.15
B3 Love Insurance 2.57
B4 The Only Change 4.55

Review by Trakbuv

For me, one of the great discoveries of the 1990s was Mike James Kirkland’s “Hang on in there” - and the subsequent awesome CD. It was also significant in making me aware of the possibility of many musical losts being found by Indiana Jones wannabes - rescued from the catacombs of obscurity to finally reach the public spotlight. And sure enough, his follow-up LP from 1973 surfaced a few years later on 12cm of shiny joy. What I hadn’t realised was that Michael James Kirkland packed some pedigree in his punch. He had been lead singer for Mike & the Censations and had existed as Bo Kirkland as part of a duo that some may recall. But more on that later. Born 1949 in Yazoo City, Mississippi, his early gospel roots secured his part in the local gospel act, the Seven Seals, along with his two brothers, Walter and Robert (the latter would prove to be pivotal to his future musical career). They later moved to Los Angeles around ‘56, following an inter-racial incident with one of his brothers. In Mike’s own words, they were lured by the prospect of racial harmony, “a promise that has not been kept”. His early influences were the well-turned out ‘supper club’ jazz singers of the day (Dinah, Nancy, Brook, Nat, etc) before finding inspiration in Sam Cooke. Mike’s soft mellifluous tones are a clear and respectful nod to Sam’s exquisite style.

Mike’s first foray in a recording studio was a result of a wager by his brother Robert. While enduring the praises of Motown by a group of friends, he said he could cut a song every bit as good by Christmas. This was the August, but sure enough, as Santa stepped off his sleigh in the winter of ‘65, Mike & the Censations had recorded “Victim of circumstance” (a telling title) released on Robert’s Bryan label. A sombre, creative, almost doo-wop number, it made the top 50 of the R&B Charts.  The similarly slanted, yet more beautiful “There is nothing I can do about it” scored even higher whereupon they signed a brief deal with MCA records. Other significant cuts I’d urge you seek out are “Gonna try and get you back” and “The straw (that broke the camel’s back)”.

Pricked by the more politically conscious early seventies, Mike started to mix his tender romanticism with social commentary. The result was the adorable “Together” ballad A-side and “The prophet” message B-side single, again released on Bryan in 1971. It’s natural progression, the glorious “Hang on in there” LP followed in 1972.  Then came Bryan Records catalogue no. 9007 - “Doin’ It Right” was released in 1973. The recipe is pretty much the same as, if rawer than, its predecessor, with a similar line-up of musicians, and most tracks written by Mike. Mike has noted that there is a distinction between the way the two albums were produced, mirroring the two approaches to be found back in the day as he saw it. “Hang on” fell into the “refined, jazzy, well-produced” category, whereas “Doin’” adopted a “more earthy , natural sound” with both Mike and Robert wanting a more ‘live’ atmosphere.

Kicking off with the busy, streetfunk of “Got to do it right”, and its countering girl chorus - this opener is pure bliss. Then it’s a couple of covers (both apparently popular with his live act) - “Its too late” is given a slight boost in beat, but still a great revision. “O me O my” is very good as well, exposing the fragility in his voice appropriately, except for the fact that I’m soo smitten by Aretha’s version (and not forgetting Lulu’s original). Then its back to a Mike original, the mellow “You put it on my mind”. The eight minute breakdown on the title track earns and burns every second, the histrionics conveying a desperation in its message - a man trying to save a failing relationship. Stupendous. “Love is all we need” is a nice inclusion with a Southern Soul feel maybe reflecting his roots. “Love Insurance” is pleasant shaker, although lacking enough punch and direction to really qualify as one of the singles to be released off the album.

Mike later changed his name to Bo Kirkland to avoid confusion with Michael Jackson who had just turned solo. And the first single release under his new moniker, “Grandfather Clock”, was met with critical praise (great lyrics by the way) and reached #80 R&B in 1975. This was the prelude to him joining forces with ex-Ikette Ruth Davis and the release of “You’re gonna get next to me” in 1976 - and the rest, as they say, is history. Wow ! Please take the opportunity to check out some of his illustrious musical career, but in the meantime, savour some of this adaptable gents slick style right here.

There is an excellent biography available here

Buy it from Dusty Groove or Ebay or Groove Collector.

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Bonus

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Mr.Moo kindly offers us another Stax classic.

The Staple Singers enjoyed a brief spell when their popularity reached beyond the Soul fraternity and into the Pop charts and thus they are well known for a few classic singles. One of those appears here, “If You’re Ready(Come and Go with Me)” and it gives you an idea of the quality contained in this album.

With a resolutely Southern Soul feel, this represents the best album the Staples ever recorded. While it seemed the rest of the Stax roster were busy extending the boundaries of Black music, the Staples kept faith with the elements of the music which had elevated the label to pre-eminance in the 60’s. So you won’t find overblown orchestration, or proto-disco here. What you will find are magnificent lead vocals (Mavis Staples has few equals), superb harmonies, and production which lets those voices take centre stage.

The Staples also kept faith with their Gospel roots, and there are a couple of tracks here that fit that profile - “If you’re Ready” is essentially Gospel and “Heaven” has an ambiguous lyric which could be secular, but which in Mavis’ hands must be a hymn to her God.

Stand out tracks are many, their version of Grandma’s Hands for example is excellent and “the aformentioned “Heaven” is exactly that. But I would recommend this in it’s entirety as an example of Soul at it’s 70’s best and as a musical counterpoint to the way some of their contemporaries were developing Black music.

This is a @320 vinyl rip (supplied by Mr.Moo) of the original Stax Records LP including covers

Tracks
A1 Be What You Are 5:03
A2 If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me) 4:29
A3 Love Comes in All Colors / Tellin’ Lies 8:51
A4 Touch a Hand (Make a Friend) 4:04
A5 Drown Yourself 4:38
B1 I Ain’t Raisin’ No Sand 6:33
B2 Grandma’s Hands 2:43
B3 Bridges Instead of Walls 4:04
B4 I’m on Your Side 4:00
B5 That’s What Friends Are For 4:16
B6 Heaven 3:36

By Soulmakossa

The smash succes of ‘Be Altitude: Respect Yourself‘ gave The Staple Singers a blueprint from which to work: Muscle Shoals groovin’, gospelfide harmonies and political lyrics.

The optimistic title-track “Be What You Are” picks up where “Respect Yourself” left off: an anthemic, self-empowering song about taking pride in who and what you are; the magazine advertisement for the single showed a black construction worker smiling, staring proudly into the camera. A superb, gospel rock ‘n’ roller with some very Duane Allman-ish guitar hooks.

Reprising their super hit “I’ll Take You There”, “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me” is set to that same irresistible, lazy groove. What sets it apart from its predecessor is the use of folksy, acoustic guitars and simmering strings. A gem.

The scene gets a little more brooding with the 9-minute medley “Love Comes in All Colors/Tellin’ Lies“, a funky bit of testifyin’ wrapped in Alabama country soul. Great arrangements throughout that never get over the top.

Joyful sounds return with the sweet, uplifiting “Touch a Hand (Make a Friend)“, but that slightly menacing, hauntingly bluesy vibe reappears on the solid funker “Drown Yourself” and it reaches a climax on the super political “I Ain’t Raisin’ no Sand“, with its sober string arrangement and Pops’ understated lead vocal.

The overall message of the album remains strongly optimistic; the slightly Carribic “Bridges Instead of Walls” and the insanely funky “That’s What Friends Are For” (NOT the Dionne Warwick song!) are unabashed feel-good tunes.

‘Be What You Are’ is completed with some very touching, gentle, ballad-styled, folksy soul pieces: Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands” fits the family like a glove; “I’m on Your Side” shows the most sensitive side of Mavis and the album’s grand finale, “Heaven“, is simply achingly beautiful, both in its vocal delivery as in its ethereal arrangements.
classic.

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A superb album finally gets a release.

Never mind crate digging, the new thing is archive digging, and soul is proving to be especially rewarding territory. These 1973 tracks, most previously unreleased, offer yet another sterling example. Amnesty was an Indianapolis band combining the vocal talents of the Embers and the instrumental skills of the Crimson Tide. Their mix of harmony-vocal soul with deep funk will please P-Funk fans, while occasional traces of Afrobeat recall Osibisa and Mandrill. There’s nothing about the thoroughly enjoyable music here that explains why it wasn’t released at the time, until the bit in the booklet notes that says the Lamp label for which they recorded specialized in rock. The 1970s’ loss is our gain now that this killer album has finally appeared.

This is a 320 CD rip of the Now-Again Records CD including covers.

Tracks
1 Can I Help You? 7:41
2 Love Fades 3:32
3 Mister President 4:19
4 Free Your Mind 5:51
5 We Have Love 4:32
6 Lord Help Me 3:38
7 Three Cheers for My Baby 4:10
8 Trouble Will Remain 2:34
9 We’ve Come a Long Way 1:54
10 Liberty 2:40

Fans of the exquisite, often never-before-released funk championed by Stones Throw’s reissue wing Now-Again Records are no stranger to Amnesty.

Based in Indianapolis in the early 1970s, the group released only two obscure 45s in their recording career. Birthed from the same scene as The Ebony Rhythm Band (Soul Heart Transplant - NWG 5011), Amnesty had a poltical edge similar to L.A. Carnival (Would Like To Pose A Question - NWG 5009) and the hardest brass section since The Kashmere Stage Band (Texas Thunder Soul - NWG 5023). Only one Amnesty song has ever been released on CD: “Free Your Mind” appeared on the most widely distributed Now-Again album to date - Cold Heat: Heavy Funk Rarities 1968-1974, Vol. 1 (NWG 5017).

This previously unreleased anthology comes from the same sessions as “Free Your Mind.” In 1973, Amnesty recorded five hard, vocal funk numbers alongside some ballads and a handful of demos based around nothing more than guitar accompaniment. Only two songs were ever released. While Amnesty’s ting, difficult-to-categorize prog funk/soul/rock could potentially reach far beyond Indianpolis’s bounds, the band never found a label to take them to the next level.

Obviously influenced by, but by no means simply imitators of, the sound of early Parliament and Funkadelic, Amnesty also responds to the grooves of Earth Wind & Fire and Sly & The Family Stone in their own way.

Finally made available 33 years after they were recorded, these songs present a funk style arranged with dangerous complexity and performed with precision - arguably the most unique funk to originate from Naptown, and some of the best music of its kind. (www.undergroundhiphop.com)

Long relegated to various ‘rarity’ compilations, Indianapolis eight-piece Amnesty (meaning ‘second chance’) have finally been recognised in a collection of recordings kept by long-time band archivist, bassist, and keeper-of-the-faith James ‘Red’ Massie. The result is a melting pot of early ‘70s psychedelic funk, jazz, rock and vocal harmonies. A strange combination, it attempts to catalogue the group’s evolution as they seek satisfaction in their second stab at fame.

Although they originally released only one 7-inch for the Lamp label (home of other psychedelic funk acts such as The Ebony Rhythm Band and The Diplomatics), Amnesty found a home at Moe Whittemore’s 700 West Studio in 1973. Here, along with that fateful 7-inch, they taped five hard funk numbers and a string of ballads and demos. From these sessions, they released “Three Cheers for Baby” and “Lord Help Me” as the B-side. The former song showcases their vocal abilities and their love for Temptations-inspired harmonies. Similar to other tracks on this compilation such as “We’ve Come A Long Way“, the backing of these vocal tracks is incredibly gritty and real. Amnesty’s sophisticated sweep and flow of horns, wah-wah, and percussion produces an amazing intensity; one which transcends the boundaries of pop.

On the released B-side, “Lord Help Me” dishes out a hot serving of supergroovalistic-parliament-thang. While the brass arrangement doesn’t sit with the likes of Fred Wesley, the call/response idiom familiar to gospel and the scathing proto-political/economic musings (‘the price of meat/almost higher than dope in the streets’) are a fine slice of funk. This particular track sheds real light on the group’s potential.

Elsewhere, the opener “Can I Help You?” and “Mister President” seem to combine the rhythms of Cymande with the psychedelic contemplations of Indianapolis brothers-in-arms Ebony Rhythm Band - a combination which seems to flavour many of the featured recordings. Love Fades is also steeped in funkadelic flavours that wouldn’t be out of place on Cosmic Slop.

Not only does Free Your Mind showcase the talent of a greatly overlooked funk act, it is also a damn fine record for your average funk listener. (Tom Noonan)

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