A solid smoker from the lesser-known Jeannie Reynolds – a hell of a 70s soul singer, and one who should have been huge – especially given the rich vocals on this set! Jeannie's brother LJ Reynolds handles production this time around, and he brings in a nice sharper edge to the set – touches of funk at points, which echo a Dramatics sort of groove – and which really seem to unleash some sharper sounds in Jeannie's vocals at all the right moments. A few other tunes are warmer, and remind us of the soulful charm we discovered on Reynolds' debut – creating a great sense of balance that gives the album a lot more depth than most other Casablanca sets like this from the time! LJ and Jeannie wrote all the tracks save one – and titles include "Guide Me Well", "I Know I'll Always Be In Love With You", "Sexy Man", "I Don't Want To Be Second Best", "I'm Hooked On You", "Come My Way", and "Don't Make A Fool Of Me". CD also features four bonus tracks – "Love Don't Come Easy For Me", "Unwanted Company", "The Phone's Been Jumping All Day", and "Lay Some Lovin On Me". ~ Dusty Groove
A pair of late 70s Motown gems from Cuba Gooding – back to back on a single CD! The well-titled 1st Cuba Gooding Album is his first project on his own, done after a classic stretch in the Main Ingredient! Gooding's working here with help from Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter – the hit 70s soul team who really help him find a great new groove on his own – a sound that's rooted in the sweeter vocal modes of The Main Ingredient, but which has a sparklingly sophisticated quality of its own! The music is mature and upbeat – a bit like some of David Ruffin or Eddie Kendricks' solo work of the 70s – and nearly all tunes here are originals by Potter and Lambert. Titles include "Fool Of The Year", "Mind Pleaser", "Hold On To What You Got", "All I Can Give You Is Love", and "As Long As There's You". Love Dancer is a tremendous solo outing from Cuba Gooding – a record that not only shows his strength as a lead singer away from The Main Ingredient – but one that also shows that he really knows how to groove as well! The album's produced by Michael Smith, and has a vibe that's a bit different than Gooding's previous Motown record – with some tunes that have a wonderfully rich clubby sort of sparkle – and some even nicer mellow moments that really unlock that mature potential Gooding always had in his vocals – that smooth-stepping sound he'd really bring to the forefront when returning to The Main Ingredient in the 80s. Titles include the great mellow groover "I'm Yours Now" – plus "Hey The Party's In Here", "Disco Royale", "Trust Me", "Tell Me How Long It's Been", and "Running Man". ~ Dusty Groove
A great set from Bobby Womack's late 70s years at Columbia Records – one of our favorite records of this chapter in his career! Bobby's move to Columbia in the late 70s did a heck of a lot of good things to his music! At the label, he forged a strong mellow soul sound that still incorporated a lot of his roots and his strengths, but which was also a lot more forward-looking, and which helped Womack escape from some of the cliches of his later UA albums. In a way, his shift was similar to that of Johnnie Taylor at the label, and it's no surprise that the great Don Davis was at the helm – producing the record with a great blend of modern and deep soul modes. There's plenty of great guests, too, like Candi Staton, David Ruffin, and The Horny Horns – all of whom really help enrich the sound. Titles include "Trust Your Heart", "It's Party Time", "When Love Begins, Friendship Ends", "Caught Up In The Middle", "Never Let Nothing Get The Best Of You", and "Wind It Up". CD features 4 bonus tracks – "Wind It Up (single)", "Trust Your Heart (single)", "When Love Begins Friendship Ends (single)", and "Trust Your Heart (12" ext mix)". ~ Dusty Groove