Booker T & The MGs – definitely doing their thing on this late 60s cooker – and moving their instrumental sound into a whole new range than before! The album has a very groovy feel – nice and tight, with especially great organ and guitar lines – often tuned towards 60s hits by other soul artists, but reworked strongly by the group's wonderful rhythms, and turned into a really cooking batch of Memphis soul instrumentals! There's a few key original tunes on the set – like the title track "Doin Our Thing" – and the cuts "I Can Dig It" and "Blue On Green" – but the covers are equally great, and include versions of "Ode To Billie Joe", "You Keep Me Hangin On", "Expressway To Your Heart", and "Let's Go Get Stoned". ~ Dusty Groove
Booker T's definitely getting a bit funky with this one – stepping off with the incredible title cut, a tune which really complicates the groove from the earlier years! The sound is still solid Memphis soul, with a raw instrumental vibe – but the grooves are even better than before, and the set includes loads of great original number written by the group – the kind of cool tunes they most likely cooked up while jamming live in the studio! These gems include the seminal "Hip Hug Her" – plus "Carnaby Street", "Booker's Notion", "Soul Sanction", "Double Or Nothing", and "Slim Jenkins' Place". But the covers are groovy too – and include a version of "Pigmy", plus "Groovin" and "Sunny". ~ Dusty Groove
Very early work by Patti LaBelle – working here with the young Bluebelles group, but in a setting that still points the way towards the Labelle sound of the 70s – given that the quartet also features vocals from Cindy Birdsong, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx! The style is a great mix of female doo wop and uptown soul – harmony styles really maturing strongly for the 60s, and already taking strong advantage of the amazing vocals of Patti LaBelle! Things are sweet, but have a nice edge too – and even the familiar tunes take on a new life in the hands of the group – as you'll hear on "Over The Rainbow", "People", "More", "Groovy Kind Of Love", "He", "Patti's Prayer", and "Unchained Melody". ~ Dusty Groove
An incredibly captivating album of female soul – unlike anything else we can think of! Side one features a suite of tracks that details an ill-fated love affair in 4 modes: Introduction, Hoping, Final Attempt, and The Next Time – all done in a mode that mixes standard southern soul with these deeper monologues delivered by Tami in between each track! Lynn performs the work in a starkly intimate style that sends chills down our spine – and which makes you feel like you're listening in on her talking to her best friend – very cool, very personal, and deeper than most other work of its type. Side two is back on the regular tip – with shorter songs overall – but Tami does a pretty good job its range of mellow southern ballads and a few more uptempo numbers. Titles include a version of Andre Williams "Mojo Hanna", plus "Ain't No Soul", "One Night Of Sin", "Love Is Here & Now You're Gone", and "That's Understanding". ~ Dusty Groove