IKE & TINA TURNER - SWEET RHODE ISLAND RED / THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO IKE & TINA

Two mid 70s sets from Ike & Tina Turner – both a nice pairing on this single CD! First up is Sweet Rhode Island Red – a tight little record that follows with the same sort of energy from the pair's Nutbush City Limits classic! Like that record, this one really reinvents their sound with an almost rootsier groove than before – one that's almost going back before their initial 60s soul mode, to reach for a criss-cross of R&B and bluesier sounds – perfect for the larger audience that had grown to dig the duo in the 70s! Tina actually wrote a good number of songs on the set – and the record's proof that her star was definitely rising, even amidst troubling times for the couple. Titles include "Let Me Be There", "Sweet Rhode Island Red", "Ready For You Baby", "Doozie", "Higher Ground", "Smooth Out The Wrinkles", and "I Know".

On The Gospel According To Ike & Tina, Ike and Tina Turner take on a host of gospel classics – but really rework them with their own sort of early 70s energy! Ike re-arranged all the tunes here – and in a way, the album's one of the most inventive from the pair during this time – almost as if the familiar tunes were giving them leave to stretch out and do some unusual things with their groove – especially Ike, and the way he changes the rhythms and instrumentation with nice little twists and turns. Tina's vocals bring a deeply soulful interpretation to the music – and a sense of sex that really breaks things out of the church! Titles include "Glory Glory", "Father Alone", "Take My Hand Precious Lord", and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee".

Source: Dusty Groove