Funk my Soul

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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Buy it from Badcatrecords or Ebay

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A fabulous album, done when Pickett was in the midst of his best period at Atlantic. It had everything, great songs, wonderful production and arrangements, and a hungry, galvanizing Wilson Pickett hollering, screaming, shouting, and soaring on anything he covered, from ballads to uptempo dance and midtempo wailers.

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

Tracks
A1  Mustang Sally 3:04
A2  New Orleans 2:32
A3  Sunny 3:16
A4  Everybody Needs Somebody To Love 2:16
A5  Ohh Paa Pah Doo 2:37
A6  She Ain’t Gonna Do Right 2:14
B1  Knock On Wood 2:40
B2  Time Is On My Side 2:31
B3  Up Tight Good Woman 2:29
B4  You Left The Water Running 2:31
B5  Three Time Loser 2:19
B6  Nothing You Can Do 2:14

Review by J. P. Ryan

Wilson Pickett was one of the most dynamic, exuberant, and compelling soul singers of his generation. At his creative and commercial peak he recorded a dozen albums for Atlantic (including two hits compilations - and I’m not counting two various artist sets that each featured a pair of riveting Pickett live performances), released during 1964 - 72, when he left the label for a rather misguided period at RCA that, along with changing popular tastes, led his career to nosedive. But those Atlantic albums (which in the beginning included some earlier material, dating as far back as the Falcons’ 1961 “I Found A Love”) are all worthwhile, ranging from very good to classic. “The Wicked Pickett” is Pickett’s third for the label, a terrific set mostly recorded at Rick Hall’s Fame Studios in October 1966. As such it has a consistency of feel lacking in some of the artist’s more randomly compiled (but still worthwhile) sets, like the debut “In The Midnight Hour” or 1968’s “Midnight Mover.” With Hall and Tom Dowd overseeing a core band that includes Chips Moman, Roger Hawkins, Spooner Oldham, and Tommy Cogbill (the horn section includes Floyd Newman and Charles Chalmers) the emphasis is on deep Southern soul, slinky mid-tempo funk and the occasional rave-up. The hits include the immortal ‘Mustang Sally’ and a revved up ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’. ‘Sunny’, the suave Bobby Hebb hit, is the wild card, but Pickett’s version works, and as always it is a pleasure to hear the artist’s distinctive, blistering take on New Orleans r & b (Jessie Hill’s ‘Ooh Poo Pah Do’ and Gary “U.S.” Bond’s slinky ‘New Orleans’) - Pickett transforms the usually relaxed, laconic character that typifies the city’s r & b and funk.

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Biography and discography on Wikipedia

Buy the vinyl from Ebay and the CD from Amazon.  A Japan CD reissue along with a lot of vinyl copies can be found on Gemm.

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Doug Fowlkes formed Wess & The Airedales in 1961 as the Airedales. In the mid-60s the band ended up in Italy due to a military tour of duty where they added singer and bassist Wess Johnson who took over the band.
This one was sent by a visitor of FMS a long time ago and I am sure you’ll all enjoy it. It is extremely rare, never released on CD.

Tracks
A1. Chapel Of Dreams 3.03
A2. My sun Is Shining 2.03
A3. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag 2.47
A4. Stop Foolin’ Yourself 2.43
A5. High Heel Sneakers 3.14
A6. Until You Came Along 3.25
B1. Your Precious Love 3.20
B2. Where Did Our Love Go 2.30
B3. I’ll Never Turn My Back On You 2.59
B4. I’ve Got My Eyes On You 2.08
B5. You Brought It All On Yourself 2.28
B6. She Found Out 2.14

For generations the music and influence of black America has penetrated the ears of music lovers all over the world. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, as radio & TV communications and record distribution improved, more people than ever before were able to groove to the jazz of Blue Note, the soul of Motown, and the funk of James Brown…

It wasn’t just the head-nodders and dancers that would get down to these exciting new American exports. Singers and musicians on all six continents, having only been exposed to traditional or classical music, would listen with a keen ear to draw much-needed inspiration. The many styles of funk, soul, jazz and rock pouring out from the US during the incredibly fertile ‘60s period meant that there was a LOT of music to be inspired by, but as you can imagine the biggest and the best were the ones who made their point most known – in the case of Italian Soul band Wess & the Airedales, the tremendous power of James Brown’s trademarked production, arrangement and instrumentation was a major influence.

The many incarnations of  Wess & the Airedales started in the US, in the year of 1961 when founder Doug Fowlkes fronted his Airedales band, recording a solitary 45 on the Viva label. More recordings followed with singer Rocky Roberts at the helm, and things continued despite his relocation to Italy due to military service. The band inevitably took on some Italian members, and in 1967 Italian vocalist and bassist Wess Johnson took over the role of Roberts. The American influence is obvious with the band performing and recording many more LPs, Eps and 45s of American-style Soul music - sung in Italian!

Any self-respecting US funk band at the time of recording – 1970 – would have been envious of the tight rhythms, sharp horns and super-clean production. Even Mr Brown himself! They are a band that is truly together. The music they’ve created clearly displays the level of talent & ingenuity that’s managed to bridge the gap between Italian and American interpretation of a cutting edge sound, regardless of geographical location.

A perfect example of foreign talent that has managed to capture the very essence of deep, hard & raw American funk.

Full Discography

Buy their albums from Groove Collector.

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Bill Withers comes across as someone you’d pass everyday without paying much mind - a humble, yet very perceptive gentleman. Originally from a small coal-mining town in West Virginia, he served 9 years in the US Navy before taking his music abilities more seriously. Bill Withers is probably best known for his wonderful hit, ‘Lovely Day’ – somehow capturing the laziness of a hot summer afternoon perfectly. Of equal measure is the exquisite ‘Ain’t no sunshine’, a song that was given a scintillating rendition by a certain 14 year old wannabe (Michael Jackson, RIP). Even after recording ‘Ain’t no sunshine’, Bill refused to give up his job making aeroplane toilet seats, citing the music industry as fickle. Here we have Bill consolidating the success of that song and his debut, ‘Just as I am’, with arguably his finest long-player.

This is a 320@ CD rip (supplied by Trakbuv), including original gatefold covers

Tracks
A1   Lonely Town, Lonely Street (3:44)
A2   Let Me In Your Life (2:39)
A3   Who Is He (What Is He To You) (3:12)
A4  Use Me (3:46)
A5   Lean On Me (4:17)
B1  Kissing My Love (3:49)
B2   I Don’t Know (3:05)
B3   Another Day To Run (4:38)
B4   I Don’t Want You On My Mind (4:35)
B5   Take It All In & Check It All Out (2:40)

Review by Trakbuv

I’ve read a few comments in light of the passing of Michael Jackson that have questioned his (and others past and present) status as a legend as some sort of open debate. Hero worship is a funny thing – it is a human failing to seek someone as a refuge or guide for our dreams and failings. It can be a good thing, but can also drive man against fellow man. The reality of course is that it is ultimately subjective. Just because someone has had the most number ones ever doesn’t mean you have to personally hail them as a legend, or even like them. Of course, in the case of Michael there is no objective dispute as to this status. But it is the need to compare others, living or dead, as some sort of hierarchy that goes beyond playful fantasy that I find disturbing. It made me wonder at how fame can mould a person’s career and their music, and hence notoriety, in defining an iconic legacy.

What would superstardom have done with Mr Bill Withers, for example ? The title of this album ‘Still Bill’ says it all really. Even having had two huge hits in ‘Grandma’s hands’ and ‘Ain’t no sunshine’ (the latter reaching no.3 on the Billboard Pop Charts and receiving a Grammy Award), and a well-received debut LP, ‘Just As I Am’, it was still just Bill. His whole charisma reeked of this guy sat on his porch banging out melodies from a worldly-wise tongue, surrounded by a glazed audience humming among the fireflies. His songs are uncomplicated, simple themes given a wondrous lease of colour and virtuosity that beguiles the senses. And here on ‘Still Bill’, the master really delivers both as songer and singwriter.

‘Lonely town, lonely street’ – a real corker to kick the dust off, Bill takes no prisoners in his aggressive take on the vacuous trappings of the bright lights – and one of my many all-time Bill favourites. Once you’ve picked yourself up from that physical bashing, he pleads with the softest of strokes on ‘Let me in your life’. One of my favourite Bill slowies, its all-too brief sweetness only serves to accentuate the yearning. Goosebumps. Next up is the classic ‘Who is he’, from which I would sing ‘doggarnit’ to anything I begrudgingly had to do as a kid ! Everything that Bill Withers stands for is right here - simple repetitive refrain, a biting chorus that almost makes a verse redundant, and a spitting message that fails to hit no-one. Ditto for the moog-led ‘Use me’, another popular Withers number that has the man in vitriolic mode. Do not mess !

‘Lean on me’. Let’s take some time out for what is probably his most majestic song. The arrangement on this is unbelievable ! We start with what is essentially a hum-with-words – creating an amazing meandering melancholy that is broken so spectacularly with ‘lean on me’ in the most earnest call you could ever wish for. And that unorthodox hand-clap rhythm in the chorus (5/4 time ?) is inspirational. And that echo of ‘call me’ on the fade-out sounding like a phone ringing from the one you love. This is planet Genius with honours deservedly capturing the no.1 spot in the US on July 8^th, 1972 – almost exactly 37 years ago ! Another BIG fave is ‘Kissing my love’, sounding a little like The Meters, Bill gets down and I tell ya’ll - my sway cannot get away when this booms. The jazzy breeziness of ‘I don’t know’ perfectly paves the joyful skip of the lyrics, oh, I’d forgotten just how good the next track is. At over 4.5 minutes, ‘Another day to run’ is Bill getting into opus territory, and what he manages to sneak into those meagre minutes is a burglar’s dream. Astounding message and delivery. On ‘I don’t want you on my mind’, we gets Bill rockin’ that rockin’ chair with the sun glistening off his half empty bottle of rye. Bill does the blues with utmost respect to the blues. That trademark chug of the guitar is sewn through the fabric of ‘Take it all in’, which although a blatant melodic rip-off of ‘Who is he’, the message still stands loud and proud on its own.

There is something so reliably down-to-earth about Bill’s folk-soul – something reassuring and honest. The rarest of talents with an ear for sweet melodies and incisive lyrics - and an endearing and enduring voice that is instantly recognisable. And I think we should have a ‘Bill Withers’ day where everyone takes out 4 minutes and 17 seconds every year to sing ‘Lean on me’. And if any of this is the stuff of legends, then so be it.

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Buy the vinyl and CD from Discogs and enjoy live the essential “Lean on Me”

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Here is something really special for the weekend. Groovy Emmanuel sent me this vinyl and let’s see what Dusty Groove America says:

One of the undisputed masterpieces LPs of 70s soul! William De Vaughn may never be remembered for anything else - and the poor guy will always be mistaken for Curtis Mayfield by record shoppers everywhere - but he really out-Curtised Curtis on the super-dope original version of “Be Thankful For What You Got”, one of those righteous soul tunes that everybody knows, everybody loves, but which was recorded by an artist that nobody can remember. Get this one, and you’ll remember William De Vaughn as a genius for the rest of your life - not only for the full 7-minute version of “Be Thankful”, which has a great conga breakdown in the middle, but also for other original tunes like “Blood is Thicker than Water”, “You Can Do It”, and “Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand”. Very righteous, and with a deep soul groove that was hardly matched by other albums of the era!

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Roxbury Records LP including covers.

Tracks
A1   Give The Little Man A Great Big Hand (5:35)
A2   We Are His Children (5:14)
A3   Blood Is Thicker Than Water (7:19)
A4   Kiss And Make Up (2:48)
B1   Be Thankful For What You Got (7:12)
B2   Sing A Love Song (3:26)
B3   You Can Do It (3:38)
B4   Something’s Being Done (3:44)

Review by Groovy Emmanuel

There is a load of great records by great artists over the years, but what about those who shined once in a lifetime and later on almost disappeared? Such is the story of this 1974 record by William DeVaughn. That and the thing that creativity is the mother of invention.

In 1972 William, a Washington D.C. native, was a salaried government employee, was 24 years old and the man could sing and more important could write songs. So, he entered Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, arranged a recording session and yes, even paid for it! But what a great session proved that to be. The core of TSOP was there, the great rhythm section of MFSB. in guitarist Norman Harris, drummer Earl Young, bassist Ron Baker, and vibist Vince Montana. Omega Sound Inc vice-president and Sigma Sound Studios president Frank Fioravanti was impressed with the record and began shopping it around to various labels. Finally the 45 produced by Fioravanti and arranged by John Davis was issued in Wes Farrell’s Roxbury label in 1974. Wes had started his Chelsea (remember New York City) and Roxbury labels with that in mind: To release great records by artists like William De Vaughn or New York City. Oh dear, lucky us.
The 45 sold over a million copies in the summer of 1974, and over the years it became something like a legend. It was that catchphrase: “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, digging the scene with a gangster lean” that set the pace in the years to come. Lyrics understood or misunderstood about those who actually had those “great, big Cadillacs”, William himself once said that he was talking to the ordinary working folks, the ones who “might not have a car at all.” After all brothers, just listen for yourselves! And enjoy.
Forgot to tell you the title of the 45! “Be Thankful For What You Got” parts 1 and 2, Roxbury Records BR B0-0236. reaching #1 on the U.S. R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, selling a million copies, with a sound and content influenced by Curtis Mayfield, its simple and encouraging lyrics hit home, to the extent that it became featured on gospel radio stations.

Roxbury finally released the album titled after the 45, featuring mostly songs of an overtly religious character, and the second single, “Blood Is Thicker Than Water”, made the R&B top ten and the pop top fifty later in 1974; “Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand” had minor success early the next year. On stage, William DeVaughn used to almost preach to his audience and furthermore to admonish it. Lyrics and texts are almost biblical influenced and yes, someone can easily get down with some of the greatest moments of smoothness ever waxed on a piece of vinyl. And sometimes you can find yourself wondering, is that a TSOP record? Yes it definitely is! Such a great studio, such a great pack of some really great musicians in just to sound as anything good can ever sound.
But later on William seemed to lose interest in the music industry, and began working in a record store and again as a draftsman. And suddenly in 1980 he released the album “Figures Can’t Calculate”  on TEC, which included the title song, a minor R&B hit and a remake of “Be Thankful for What You Got”. Yet again..

Just for conclusion, let’s hear what Earl Young, the great drummer of MFSB, said once about TSOP: ” I think that the Philadelphia Sound is so unique, because we were like family, we recorded like family. Everybody knew everybody in the studio, it wasn’t just about making records. And yes, it is me playing in Cliff Noble’s The Horse (a sixties classic) and Van McCoy’s The Hustle (a seventies disco anthem), and William DeVaughn’s Be Thankful. And The Village People!. And many many more.”  Yes brothers, music is definitely a wheel spinning endlessly, no matter what style it is, as long as it is rocking us eternally.

And always have that in mind: “You may not have a car at all. But remember, brothers and sisters, you can still stand tall. Just be thankful for what you’ve got.”

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It’s also worth listening the killer 12 inch version of this classic song and check you tube for the disco version as well.

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Betty Wright - 1968 - My First Time Around

A late 60s southern soul gem from then 14-year-old belter Betty Wright, her early singles for the Alston label that eventually became her debut album for Atlantic.  Clarence Reid wrote most of the tracks, with arrangements and production handled by Steve Alaimo’s Marlin Productions. It’s done in the raw southern soul style which made that organization’s name at the time  and Betty carries that groove incredibly well, as well as a woman of any age group! Essential!

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

Tracks
A1   Girls Can’t Do What The Guys Do (2:04)
A2   Funny How Love Grows Cold (2:51)
A3   I’m Gonna Hate Myself In The Morning (2:11)
A4   Circle Of Heartbreak (2:58)
A5   Sweet Lovin’ Daddy (2:25)
A6   Cry Like A Baby (2:34)
B1   Watch Out Love (2:41)
B2   He’s Bad, Bad, Bad (2:22)
B3   I Can’t Stop My Heart (3:24)
B4   I’m Thankful (2:03)
B5   The Best Girls Don’t Always Win (3:08)
B6   Just You (3:06)

Betty Wright is like the female Bill Withers; that is to say, she’s an excellent soul artist even more criminally overlooked in current times than Withers, who had his own recent critical revival. The re-release of My First Time Around, one of Wright’s first records to really show her talent, might help getting her own movement going. As a barely-known album, recorded when Wright was just 14 years old, this re-release sounds like the revelation it must have been to the few people to catch it its first time around.

Remembered primarily for one Atlantic hit, “Clean Up Woman,” Ms. Wright has been in the news lately for helping 18-year-old Joss Stone sound like a credible soul singer. Wright was writing her own songs at an even younger age: My First Time Around has crackling stories of the kind of love you regret even while you’re making it (“I’m Gonna Hate Myself In The Morning”), with men you should be ashamed to know (“He’s Bad, Bad, Bad”). It’s hard to imagine how a 14-year-old Wright knew so much about that sort of subject matter, but no song here strikes a false note, not even the few happy spots, like the romantic hymnal “I’m Thankful.”

The music, provided by a fairly unknown group of musicians then working for Henry Stone’s Alston label, is note-for-note perfect, from the organ accenting “Circle of Heartbreak” to the horn section on “Girls Can’t Do What The Guys Do,” appropriately the record’s hit single. In an alternate universe where artists get the recognition they deserve, Betty Wright is as well-known as Aretha Franklin. Now that My First Time Around is available again, hopefully the rest of us in this dimension will finally catch up. (By Josh Drimmer)

Since there’s no available video of this album, enjoy “The Babysitter” from “Hard To Stop”

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Betty Wright - 1973 - Hard To Stop

A deep soul classic from Betty Wright  one of her earliest albums of the 70s, and a Miami soul landmark that was one of the greatest female southern soul records of the time! Although Betty was well known for her earlier hit “Clean Up Woman”, she didn’t give into that fame — and keeps things mighty real on this set by working in a slow-burning deep soul mode. The vibe is nice and laidback, with plenty of mellow keyboard touches, subdued horn passages, and round, full sound served up to perfection by producers Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke.

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

Tracks
A1   I Am Woman (4:20)
A2   Sweet Wonder (2:26)
A3   The Experts (3:02)
A4   We The Two Of Us (3:00)
A5   Let Me Go Down (2:57)
B1   Gimme Back My Man (3:28)
B2   Who’ll Be The Fool (3:17)
B3  The Babysitter (3:02)
B4   If You Think You’ve Got Soul (2:15)
B5   It’s Hard To Stop (Doing Something When It’s Good To You) (3:14)

While Hard to Stop lacked a big classic hit on the order of “Clean Up Woman,” it was a very solid and varied platter of early-’70s soul. Distinguished by the tight, lean Miami funk-soul of the backup players (particularly guitarist Willie “Little Beaver” Hale), it did offer a couple of pretty big R&B hits with the jittery rhythms of “The Babysitter” and “It’s Hard to Stop (Doing Something When It’s Good to You),” which was about as bluesy as soul got in 1973. A far more off-the-wall highlight was the radical reinterpretation of Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman,” which changed it from a hokey pop tune into something that sounded far more grittily proud and defiant. However, it’s a pretty consistent record throughout, with other cuts of note including “We the Two of Us,” which has a great effervescent Miami organ, and “If You Think You’ve Got Soul,” which weaves in and out of a quasi-tropical groove. The “Clean Up Woman” guitar rhythm is reprised on “Gimme Back My Man,” though to less memorable effect than on the hit single.

Uncut - p.122 4 stars out of 5 - “The album finds her growing effortlessly into her role as the leading lady of Miami soul with powerful treatises on love and womanhood…”
Mojo  - p.116 “A solid example of pre-disco Miami soul, featuring rubbery grooves much looser than Memphis stuff.”

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Buy her vinyl and cd here and listen her biggest hit “Clean Up Woman”

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But Betty’s best career album is “Danger High Voltage” which you can find it here in our back pages.

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One of the most unique soul records you’ll ever own  a tremendous little set from the mighty Milton Wright! Milton’s probably best known for his first album, Friends & Buddies, but this set is arguably even greater  an even more personal, unusual session that blends wonderfully written songs, heartfelt vocals, and some really offbeat production techniques! There’s a bit of an acoustic vibe to the set at times  guitar gently grooving alongside Milton’s vocals  but the set also has a jazzy tinge too, with hip inflections amidst the arrangements that created a really sophisticated pattern of sounds for the record. Things start somewhat mellow, but quickly get grooving  bringing in bits of keyboards and more electric guitar to warm things up, and hitting a sublime style that’s unlike anything else we can think of. Wright’s vocals often have a spaced out feel that’s in keeping with the album, but the album’s hardly laidback  and has a great sense of focus throughout.

Tracks
A1   She Can Have Anything She Wants 2.43
A2   Dance Have Fun 4.48
A3   Magic Music 3.39
A4   All I Know Is That I Have You 3.14
A5 Let’s Take A Break 1.48
B1   You Like To Dance 4.59
B2   You Don’t Even Know Me 3.13
B3  Leave Me Alone 3.40
B4   Be With Me 2.43
B5   Job 3.06

Review by Trakbuv

Had this been a blog cataloguing the history of manned flight, I would have had plenty to write (!).  As it happens, the father of the Wright Brothers may have shared his name with Milton, but not his compassion for our music.  As such, there appears to be only scant information about this elusive gent.  With respect to sharing his name, one Betty Wright does have the accolade of being his sister – is this further proof that soul music is a hereditary trait ?  Must be in them soul bones (thank you, The Trammps).  Anyhow, Milton Wright will be well known to many of you as the guy who gave us ‘Keep it up’, the sassy Moog-laden beat number that has blared out on numerous respectable dance halls.  Some of you may also be fortunate to be familiar with the long player from which this single was pulled: ‘Friends and Buddies’ from 1975 – a rich, beautifully crafted box of goodies.

Well, Nikos has kindly provided us with the extremely obscure follow-up to that masterpiece.  Released on the Alston subsidiary of TK Records (to whom his sis was also affiliated at the time), this was a commercial failure – but since when has that been a mark of a record’s longevity ?!!  Fate dealt a second blow when stacks of the unsold pressings were destroyed in a warehouse fire.  However, sufficient copies did survive to tell a wonderful tale – ten tales in total.  The set is written solely or jointly by Mr Wright and produced once again by Seth Snyder, with Milton presumably contributing his musicianship on the guitar.  Things push off with ‘She can have anything she wants’, a pleasant Modern Soul groover with curiously muffled (spaced-out ?) overdubbed vocals – maybe not the most captivating song to start an album with.  ‘Dance have fun’ is a great disco thumper with the Morse for SOS seemingly played throughout to give it an urgent edge, and that extended break to finish is a gas.  The next track reminds me how similar Milton and Leroy Hutson are in their slender vocal tones and adventurous production.  ‘Magic music’ has a lovely light and breezy quality.  A track I was familiar with is the warm, caressing ‘All I know is I have you’, a simple message drifting in a gentle sea of strings and flutes – beautiful.  Then it’s the funky, impudent, bass-driven ‘Let’s take a break’ – a precursor to Prince’s ‘Kiss’ ?  With some phat Tower Of Power sounding horns thrown in – this is waaay too brief.

That familiar sound of chattering guitars and sweeping strings herald the disco-orientated ‘You like to dance’.  Not bad, but unfortunately his vocals are exposed as particularly unsuitable for the genre.  Not sure why, but ‘You don’t even know me’ reminds me of ‘Keep it up’ – it has that same insistent quality.  Wisely introducing a female background vocalist for the first time, this is my highlight.  Although ‘Leave me alone’ sounds like a slowed down version of the preceding track, it has a charm all of its own.  Leroy Hutson comes back to mind here at his mighty midtempo best, hugging you like a warmed blanket.  Brilliant, and his best vocal performance.  The cheerful ‘Be with me’ again uses dual tracked vocals to provide a lilting, strangely hypnotic experience.  The spiritual ‘Job’ (the biblical figure) is a melodic closer that lacks a little something – maybe a female choir to give it a more wholesome feel.

More soulful/dance and less jazz-orientated than its predecessor, and arguably less successful because of it, this is still an enchanting episode that was a real pleasure to sit through.  The quality is undeniable and another extremely worthy and rare addition to these hallowed pages.

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Buy the cd here and listen the wonderful “Leave Me Alone”

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