(This review first appeared in issue #63 of Shindig! magazine.)
Ace
CD
New York in the '70s
may have been a city on the verge of financial meltdown but judging
by this 24-track compilation its soul scene was in rude health.
Mainstream Records started out as a jazz label but by the mid '70s
focused almost exclusively on soul, with a roster that included big
name signings (The Dramatics, Little Richard), established R&B
names from the '60s (Doris Duke, Lenny Welch, Freddie Scott)
alongside less well-known singers and groups.
Highlights include the
slinky and seductive 'The Lonely One' by Special Delivery Feat. Terry
Huff, pentatonic bass riffs on '(I'm Your) Friendly Neighbourhood
Freak Pt 1' by Calvin Arnold, and the strings 'n' funk mix on Doris
Duke's 'Business Deal'. You'll also find vocal harmony groups,
proto-disco, Afrobeat and woman-to-woman style talked vocals. Not
everything here is killer but you'll be hard pushed to find a
collection that better encapsulates the time, place and spirit.
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