Thursday, December 31, 2015

Dave Hamilton's Detroit Soul





The first volume contains one good track in "Shoo Be Doo Be (Now That You're Gone)" by Priscilla Page and Ronny Darrel. The second volume contains a strong beauty in "Love Me Or Leave Me" by Anxiety, well worth the pick up. Other notable tracks include "It Takes Two" by The Del-Phis and "Must Have Had Company" by Elayne Starr. Top notch sound quality and liner notes as expected from Ace Records.
5 out of 10

Very Special Oldies







This collection first hit on tape then moved to CD but even at the time of release most tracks were repeats. The only thing they have going is "This Thing Called Love" by Richard And Jerry and "Baby, Baby All The Time" (the version with a stronger bassline) by The Superbs. The sound quality varies.
4 out of 10

Slow Jams The Timeless Collection













A collection of standard soul jams from Marvin Gaye, Rose Royce, Special Delivery, The Natural Four, Smokey Robinson and The Temprees. Good sound quality and liner notes. I would have given it a higher than average rating but the collection consists of pretty much all repeat tracks.
4 out of 10

Elbowed-Out




After listening to "In The Book Of Guinness" on the We Got A Sweet Thing Going On CD, I though for sure there will be another solid ballad in this release. It was not to be. Stick with the CD mentioned above unless you like more funkier numbers.
1 out of 10

Steve Mancha




A couple of nice tracks on this release, "Don't Make Me A Story Teller" and "I Don't Want To Lose You".
2 out of 10

J.J. Barnes, Steve Mancha, Darrell Banks The Sound Of Detroit




I see this one going for pretty high prices but if like me you are seeking sweet ballads then this one does not really deliver. Highlight is "I Could Never Hate Her" by Darrell Banks.
1 out of 10

Mitty Collier




If you dig Etta James then you will probably like this release. I just could not get into any of the tracks.
1 out of 10

Wilson Pickett




I picked this one up pretty much just to say I have it. Best track for the ballad seeker is "I Found A Love" done with The Falcons.
2 out of 10

Bobby Freeman




The main reason for this pick up was for his take on "What Can I Do". Other notable tracks include "Turn Around" and "Miss You So".
4 out of 10

The Capitols





Known for their upbeat dance number "Cool Jerk", The Capitols cut a couple of nice ballads in "I Thought She Loved Me" and "When You're In Trouble. They also do a good job on their cover of "Hello Stranger".
4 out of 10

The Jesters




"The Plea" is the strong standout here followed by "So Strange" and "Now That You're Gone". It Will take a dedicated early R&B fan to really appreciate this group.
5 out of 10

The Crests




I skipped through most of the covers rather quickly on this release. Highlights include the well known "16 Candles", "I Thank The Moon" and "Six Nights A Week"
4 out of 10

Jimmy Clanton




The original East Side Story collection made Jimmy Clanton a well known name within the lowrider crowd with their inclusion of "Just A Dream". Other notable tracks include "Letter To An Angel", "I Trusted You", "Another Sleepless Night" and "A Part Of Me". Recommend if you like the sounds of Sunny Ozuna.
5 out of 10