It’s been almost three years since Sean Hampsey and the Southern
(California) Soul Spinners created “This Is Lowrider Soul” for Kent
Records, and the ensuing acclaim and enjoyment have made this second
volume essential. Only three artists are repeated, which shows the depth
of the genre, and two of those, Barbara Mason with her Philly
slow-burners and Lee Williams & the Cymbals’ fantastic East Coast
harmonies epitomise the Lowrider soul sound between them. The Lovers are
also featured again, providing sweet soul from the Pacific coast. A big
talking point will be the previously unissued ballad ‘Can’t Nobody’
from Detroit’s top vocal group Brothers Of Soul, which they cut for
Galaxy in 1969. That was the year in which the more obscure Mark-Keys,
from the same city, offered their re-interpretation of J.T. Rhythm’s ‘My
Sweet Baby’. Detroit also provides the Perfections’ tour de force
‘Don’t Take Your Love From Me’, a Jack Ashford gem from the previous
year, and harmony was still strong in the city in 1972 when the Houston
Outlaws’ ‘What Am I Going To Do’ was released by Westbound. It failed to
gain the acclaim it deserved until now, currently one of the most
sought-after and expensive Detroit sides on the Lowrider collectors’
scene. Philadelphia also specialised in this sound as the 60s turned
into the 70s, and the Ethics’ ‘Sad Sad Story’ is a classic of its kind,
in a similar vein to the offerings of Little Ben & the Cheers, the
Vanguards and Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr mid-Western groups
trying to capture that same soulful feeling. Though the artists on this
CD are overwhelmingly male, when the girls hit it right the effect is
stunning as with the Sparkels’ rarity ‘Try Love (One More Time)’.
Another pricey original 45 is the Hyperions’ West Coast-recorded and
released ‘Believe In Me’. It was hardly known until the Northern Soul
A-side was flipped out of curiosity. Three tracks were rescued from the
tape vaults and released on Kent CDs in the late noughties. East Coast
stalwart Benny Gordon’s protégés the Exceptions, New York outfit the
Radiations and Los Angeles’ very own Magicians all deliver accomplished
and ready-to-hear soul ballads. It is testament to the depth of talent
in black America in the soul era, that they were deemed surplus to
requirements at the time. Other big-name groups on the Lowrider scene
such as the Hesitations, the Manhattans, the Larks and the Superbs all
feature here. The compilation flows admirably, creating a soulful mood
as the artists always intended.Wonderful Stuff & So Essential if you
love your Soul Music!
AMM
Review Courtesy Of Oldsoulrebel
The Taster!
Tracks Below (FLAC)
23 comments:
I'm for the art work ALL Music Man great review
Cheers Pedro
Great Review Thank you AMM
thanks Oldsoulrebel and AMM update to flac so good!
I am hear ready to check out this lowrider collection. I like some of the artist but I enjoy discovery rare tunes. Thank you AMM
This is indeed a great collection thanks for the review and background
Hi AMM, I'd love to know more about this collection. Looking forward to finding out more. Cheers.
Thanks AMM and Oldsoulrebel for this fantastic update. Always a pleasure to be on this blog. Music Is The Colours is where we are at!!!!!
Fantastico.
Thank you for the update Oldsoulrebel & AMM
Massive thanks for this one. Always love reading the booklets when playing the tracks.
Many thanks Oldsoulrebel and AMM for this upgrade Reb
This is a great update. Thanks for review, P.
Thanks for the update Oldsoulrebel and AMM appreciated
Always happy to see a review on a KENT release! This one looks as good as Vol 1 !!
Thanks for the upgrade amm, always a good addition!
Many thanks for this upgrade, Oldsoulrebel & AMM!
Thanks, AMM. Nice scans.
Thanks AMM for the update.
Thank u for update album im flac
Thanks for the update! great comp
Another great compilation... many thanks for the review
BigD
Really great review of this comp. Thanks.
another excellent review my friend - thank you
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