Albert Washington - Sad and Lonely - LP (1973) Eastbound - CD (2004) Westbound + Booklet & Bonus Track - Rare Soul/Blues

Man with a large cult following only released 3 stunning albums and here we have his debut.Albert was born in georgia in 1935 & passed in ohio 1998. To me a man that typified the fusion of soul and blues and a little funk, a real southern performer. Had a few requests for this so finally found it. It comes as little surprise to hear that Albert Washington's 1973 album, "Sad and Lonely" originally on Eastbound, combines blues and soul, much as his slightly earlier sides for Fraternity did. The only difference is that the music sounded a little bit more polished, in an early '70s sort of way. It was perhaps also tweaked a bit by being recorded in Memphis, some of the arrangements including backing by the Memphis Horns and backup vocals by the woman singers the Girls.  "You're Messing Up My Mind" bears the heavy influence of James Brown's funk, and there are echoes of the Memphis soul of the likes of Otis Redding here and there. But for the most part it's a more relaxed endeavor, "My Mother's Prayer" making the artist's gospel leanings most explicit. Indeed, the album probably came along a few years too early for Washington to fully benefit from it, his somewhat laid back blues/soul fusion wasn't terribly widespread at the time, but would become more commonplace in blues music in the final decades of the 20th century and so in demand from collectors and followers of his music. The 2004 CD reissue on Westbound adds a previously unreleased outtake from the sessions, a cover of Jimmy Hughes' classic "Steal Away." done his way and IMHO better than Jimmys. Such a totally underated artist with a fantastic voice, overlook this at your peril! The tasters say it all a must for all true fans of black music! Again another lost gem of an album i totally forgot about till requested.

AMM

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