One of the best things to ever happen to The Persuaders – a wonderfully rich album that has the group still sparkling strongly, long after their early hits! The harmonies are wonderful – very much on par with the bigger names at Philly International at the time – and recorded with sweet Sigma Sound production, and arrangements by Tony (not Thom) Bell that are a perfect blend of sweet and soulful – strings at some points, but a bassy bottom at others – so that the group manage to hit some even more righteous moments than before. Tunes are great, too – with some killer originals by Phil Hurtt – and the whole set's a no-filler gem that's kept us coming back for years! Titles include "Some Guys Have All The Luck", "Hold On (Just A Little Bit Longer)", "All Strung Out On You", "Stay With Me", "That's The Way She Is", and "We're Just Trying To Make It". ~ Dusty Groove
The second album by this sublime 70s soul harmony group – and a real treasure trove of under-discovered soul numbers all the way through! Most tracks are written by group member Bobby Poindexter – making for a fresh, unified batch of tunes – handled by the quartet in a style that's even more mature than their previous work – really hitting some heights that should have made them huge! Yet despite that lack of fame to score again with the same big hit as "Thin Line" from their debut – or maybe because of it – the record's a great fresh discovery – the kind of treasure you'll love if you dig east coast group soul as much as we do – especially work along the Philly/New Jersey side of the spectrum. Titles include "Peace In The Valley Of Love", "Bad Bold & Beautiful Girl", "Love Goes Good When Things Go Bad", "What Is The Definition Of Love", and "Trying Girls Out". ~ Dusty Groove
An early gem from the great Sam Cooke – a pre-RCA session, but one that already has Sam showing a stronger jazzy side of his talents – as you might guess from the title! The Lady, in this case, is the late Billie Holiday – recently passed at the time of this recording, and lovingly paid tribute to by a young Sam Cooke – with vocals that have a perfect blend of sweet and raspy to really unlock the tension in Holiday's music – yet also deliver the sound with a much different vibe overall. The set's a great example of how strongly Cooke could sing in a sophisticated jazzy style – and he does a great job with Holiday standards like "God Bless The Child", "Solitude", "Lover Girl", and "They Can't Take That Away From Me". Rene Hall did the orchestrations – and the album's an interesting example of how Cooke, like Holiday, could work within conventional forms to work a subtly progressive agenda! CD features 21 numbers in all – lots of bonus tracks that include "Today I Sing The Blues", "The Gypsy", "All Of My Life", "I Cover The Waterfront", "When I Fall In Love", and "Oh Look At Me Now". (SHM-CD!) ~ Dusty Groove
A deep soul classic from Betty Wright – one of her earliest albums of the 70s, and a Miami soul landmark that was one of the greatest female southern soul records of the time! Although Betty was well known for her earlier hit "Clean Up Woman", she didn't give into that fame – and keeps things mighty real on this set by working in a slow-burning deep soul mode. The vibe is nice and laidback, with plenty of mellow keyboard touches, subdued horn passages, and round, full sound served up to perfection by producers Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke. Titles include "Sweet Wonder", "Gimme Back My Man", "Who'll Be the Fool", "If You Think You've Got Soul", "It's Hard to Stop", and "The Experts". ~ Dusty Groove