Kent’s excellent Masterpieces of Modern Soul series reaches volume 6. It includes 22 mainly uptempo dancers recorded between 1969 and 1982 and 14 previously unreleased tracks from the golden era of Soul music.
Janice ‘Keep On Smiling’ from ’75 is a storming string laden dancer. From the same year Three Pieces ‘If Only I Could Prove To You’ is a lovely mid tempo floater. Elayne Starr ‘Must Have Had Company’ is a nice ’79 mid tempo song written and produced by Dave Hamilton. Margie Joseph excellent brassy crossover Soul dancer ‘Nobody’ from ’69 is the earliest recording here. Jean Shy is a criminally under recorded artist well illustrated by the superb unreleased ’77 side ‘What Tomorrow Brings’. Karen Sanders Group shuffling ‘You Could Have Tried’ from ’74 is a lovely Bay Area dancer that has a latin-esq groove. Phillip Mitchell excellent ‘I’ll See You In Hell’ is presented with an alternative version and different lyrics. Joe Hinton unreleased GRC track ‘You And Me Baby’ is really good with shades of Johnny Bristol.
Second Re$surrection urgent brassy modern dancer ‘You Done Let Daylight Catch You’ from 1980 is a very expensive 45 and you can hear why it is so in demand. Cynic ‘I Want You’ is an unreleased dancer prod by Joe Simon for the Posse label and the youngest track at only 40 years old !. Solomon Burke’s daughter Melaine Burke let’s it rip on the midtempo ’81 side ‘I Can’t Turn You Down’ produced by Mickey Stevenson. Betty Everett ‘Bedroom Eyes’ is nice mid tempo track written and produced by Gene and Billy Page that brings this superb comp to a Soulful end.
Buy the CD HERE
Check out the tracks below
Janice – Wake Up Smiling
Joe Graham – Higher Than High
Ronnie McNeir – Let’s Make A Move
The Exportations – Second Time Around
Dee Ervin – You Make Me Happy
Three Pieces – If Only I Could Prove To You
Elayne Starr – Must Have Had Company
Margie Joseph – Nobody
Jean Shy – What Tomorrow Brings
Karen Sanders Group – You Could Have Tried
George Semper – doo Doop Dee Deep Doot Doo
Phillip Mitchell – I’ll See You In Hell First (Alternate Take)
Joe Hinton – You And Me Baby
Jackie Dee – Who (Long Version)
Second Ressurrection – You Done Let Daylight Catch You
Cynic – I Don’t Want You
Foxfire Featuring Johnny E Adams – Don’t Play Me Cheap
Maggabrain – Have A Good Time
Hodges, James & Smith – Wishful Thinking
Melanie Burke – I Can’t Turn You Down
Ramona King – Happy Times
Betty Everett – Bedroom Eyes
