Kent 330 - Joe Simon - Soul For The Dancefloor (2009) - Rare Soul +++ Full Artwork

This man was a great Soul Legend who has sadly passed, so here,s my little Tribute to him..RIP........Joe Simon was such a prolific artist and so successful a soul singer in so many styles in the USA that us Europeans sometimes struggle to appreciate his true worth. Admittedly a man who can jump from the beautiful balladry of ‘Your Time To Cry’ to the fun and frolic-filled ‘Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor)’ without batting an eyelid is unusual if not unique. That serves to emphasise his versatility, but more importantly he has a rare voice and range that can deliver on whatever song is presented to him. Joe Simon is the second Spring artist to have a “Soul For The Dancefloor” compilation of their work on the Kent Label. As on the well-received Millie Jackson CD of the same title, this showcases the mid to uptempo tracks with a high soul quotient for the discerning Soul Fanr. The die hards like myself will already own his albums. kent managed to duplicate only six of the 24 tracks from the “Greatest Hits” CD which came out in 1997. Four of the tracks here are completely new to CD, including a previously unissued, in any form, dance version of ‘(You Keep Me) Hangin’ On’ his Sound Stage 7 ballad hit. Three tracks have substantial edits that make the LP tracks more pertinent to this fast moving celebration of Joe’s dancers. Though Joe was moved periodically from the Nashville studios, where he cut his SS7 label career and his first Spring recordings, to those of Philadelphia and New York, he still recorded both ballads and up-tempo numbers wherever he worked. Ironically the most country sounding track on this CD, was written by Gamble and Huff and recorded in the City Of Brotherly Love. ‘Ole Night Owl’ is a track chosen by compiler Sean Hampsey who has often programmed it in his forward thinking modern soul DJ spots and it only took a couple of plays to win fans over. Conversely ‘Easy To Love’ was a Donnie Fritts and Tony Joe White song produced by the legendary country soul DJ and entrepreneur John R down in Nashville, but could so easily have been a sophisticated east coast session. There were many gems hidden away on Joe’s albums. ‘Still At The Mercy Of Your Love’ is an incredible remake of a Walter Jackson mid-60s Okeh ballad treated to a whole new uptempo style which, like its neighbouring track ‘Who Was That Lady’ (a Brad Shapiro song), has benefited from some judicious editing. Speaking of ladies, we’ve included the single of Joe’s duet with Clare Bathé ‘Deeper Than Love’ that was issued on the early 80s Posse label. Clare was a talent that Joe brought to the label & he also cut two great solo tracks on her. Kent thankfully included the big hits ‘Power Of Love’ and ‘Step By Step’, because they’re great soul dance records and even though they are very well known, the CD would be incomplete without them. On the slower side they included another of Sean’s favourites, the beautiful ‘Georgia Blue’, with which he closes many of his DJ spots. The Spring single, non LP track, ‘Love Ain’t Never Hurt Nobody’ starts off slowly, but then builds to a respectable modern soul dance tempo, it evaded release on CD until now. Other dancefloor fillers include ‘I. O. U.’, ‘Let Me Be The One (The One That Loves You)’ and the sensationally stormy ‘In My Baby’s Arms’. At 78 minutes plus, kent seem to have squeezed as many Joe Simon dancers in as possible and the quality of the music makes it an essential purchase for believers, converts and those who are just about to see the light, Northern Fans are in for a treat!....God rest you Joe Simon...you will be missed.

AMM

 

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