An unusual collection of work from Average White Band – the sessions that went into their Shine album, but presented here with the full list of tracks from the recordings – all done at Sunset Sound in LA! The whole thing is great later grooves from Average White Band – a real gem from the point when the group was settling nicely into a mellow soul vein! By this point, the combo wisely realized that they couldn't keep things going forever as a funky group – so they laid back and fell into their second strongest suit – the kind of mellow stepping rhythms that sparkled nicely between the bigger cuts on earlier records, produced to perfection here with a shimmeringly soulful feel! The album's got a mature feel, and the lyrics are often understated and well-balanced – no easy crossover soul or adult contemporary cliches – just the kind of warmth the band was always known best for. 2LP pressing features the entire sessions from the album – and titles include "Into The Night", "Catch Me", "For You For Love", "If Love Only Lasts For One Night", "Miss Sun", "Let's Go Round Again", "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me", "Wasn't I Your Friend", "Love Gives Love Takes Away", "Growing Pains", and "Shine". ~ Dusty Groove
Mildlife snuck under the radar a bit with their previous record – but here, they seem poised to break big, and with a sound that's very much their own! All the great keyboard work from before is still in place, but the vocal quotient of the music has been increased – to a level where the songs mix jazzy instrumentation with some dreamy lyrics, all served up with a nicely spacey vibe overall! The blend is a bit hard to explain – production at times almost reminds us of mid 70s German work, with the vocals handled like a Neu record – but the instrumentation is farther ranging, with lots of nice electric flavors that change things up over the course of the record. Most tracks are funky, but in a spacey way – and titles include "Vapour", "Downstream", "Rare Air", "Citations", "Memory Palace", and "Automatic". ~ Dusty Groove
Tony Strong was a multi-talented R&B vocalist and choreographer who got his start in gospel music before moving on to the sweet sounds of secular soul. Strong lent his prodigious talents to such groups as The Perfections, Blue Magic, The Intrigues, Taylor Made, The Ebonys, former Motown recording artists Ron Thorpe & The Hearts of Stone, as well as being the lead vocalist for the best variation of the original Intruders, dubbed The Philly Intruders. Prior to his recent passing, Tony hooked up with renowned producer Butch Ingram of Society Hill Records and recorded as both a solo artist and as part of reformed soul outfit The People’s Choice. This special release, put together by Ingram for members of Tony’s family, compiles the best of Strong’s vocal work for the Society Hill imprint and features the musical input of the hard-working Ingram family band, drummer David Thompson, bassist Stanley Stazan Thomas, guitarist Darnell Jordan and organist Bruce Alford, with all ten of its tracks getting a fresh new remix. Chock full of great takes on Gamble and Huff classics, the album also features Strong’s standout performance on Butch and brother Jimmy’s heartfelt original entitled “If I Could Only Talk To Daddy” that will bring tears to the eyes of many a listener. Rest in peace, Tony. You will be greatly missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment