Wendy Rene - After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-1965 (2012)

Remembered mostly today for After Laughter Comes Tears 'cause RZA did it- here's a whole bunch of other ones any way! That song... that song! With or without RZA it's a great song. I know that 'cause there's a bunch of songs on here that never got sampled on a classic rap album and I like them too! Unfortunately there are also a lot that aren't very good. By the time the good ones are all gone, After Laughter Comes Tears becomes background music. At that point it's unclear whether the song is any good or not, which may or may not be a good thing. I dunno. I like background music!

Good song vibes 10/10
Everything else 2/10
Let's call it a C+

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Syl Johnson - Dresses Too Short (1968)

1. Dresses Too Short 2:44

2. I Can Take Care of Business 3:00

3. Different Strokes 2:20

4. Soul Drippin' 2:24

5. Fox Hunting on the Weekend 2:32

6. Ode to Soul Man 2:30

7. Come on Sock It to Me 2:26

8. I'll Take Those Skinny Legs 1:57

9. Try Me 2:02

10. Same Kind of Thing 2:21

11. I've Got the Real Thing 2:40

12. Sorry 'Bout Dat! 2:14

Basically I just love this guy's voice. Musically, the upbeat southern soul leads to comparisons to Otis and Wilson Pickett, but he just sounds different. It won't change the way you listen to music, but it doesn't really need to. 12 tracks, some better than others, but not one is less than essential

B+

O.V. Wright - A Nickle and a Nail and Ace of Spades (1971)

1. Don't Let My Baby Ride 3:02

2. Born All Over 3:16

3. Ace of Spades 2:12

4. Eight Men - Four Women 2:56

5. He Made Woman for Man 3:04

6. I Can't Take It 3:08

7. Afflicted 3:43

8. When You Took Your Love From Me 3:02

9. Nickle and a Nail 3:40

10. Don't Take It Away 3:53

The golden era of Southern soul was essentially over by 1971, but thankfully no one told O.V. Wright about this; this album, which as the title suggests featured two of his biggest hits, showed that his gifts as a vocalist were near the peak of their strength, and this is Memphis-style R&B in the grand tradition. Willie Mitchell produced these sessions at his Royal Recording Studio in Memphis, with the Hi Records Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns providing the backing, and their performances lend the music a smooth, glorious burn like fine brandy, and are not unlike the work they did with Al Green, but reveal a darker and bluesier tone. Great as the band is, Wright headlines this show, and when he sings he dominates these sessions with grace and authority; the longing and hurt in his voice are a wonder to behold, and the burnished gospel influences in his voice meld the secular and the sacred with a powerful common belief, particularly on "He Made Woman for Man." The lovers' ache of "Don't Take It Away" and "When You Took Your Love from Me," and the blues-shot laments of "A Nickel and a Nail" and "Afflicted" are as powerful as Southern soul got in the early '70s. Wright was a master of this form, and while he would lose his life only nine years after this album was released, A Nickel and a Nail and Ace of Spades sounds like the work of an artist as powerful and vital as you could ask for. Brilliant music, despite cover art that makes this look like a low-budget bootleg.
-AMG

A

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Candi Staton - Candi Staton (1972)

1. Do It in the Name of Love 3:00

2. Darling You're All That I Had 3:23

3. Blackmail 2:58

4. In the Ghetto 2:52

5. Wanted: Lover 2:43

6. The Best Thing You Ever Had 2:25

7. Lovin' You, Lovin' Me 3:00

8. I'll Drop Everything and Come Running 2:48

9. You Don't Love Me No More 2:24

10. The Thanks I Get for Loving You 2:40

Don't know how to review this... trust me it's another great soul album

A-

Jim Ford - Harlan County (1969)

1. Harlan Co.

2. Love on My Brain

3. Changin' Color's

4. Spoonfull

5. Dr. Handy

6. To Make My Life Beautiful

7. Workin My Way to L.A.

8. Long Rd Ahead

9. I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me

10. Under Construction

Loved by Nick Lowe and others appreciating its effortless enthusiasm, catchiness, and eccentricity, forgotten by more and maybe never liked by critics any way- Jim Ford was a versatile song-writer and performer who aped his influences convincingly (to the point I was gonna write he was obviously inspired by Allen Toussaint's 1972 masterpiece until I noticed the year this was released), never bettering them, and released Harlan County which is essential for fans of Waylon Jennings, Allen Toussaint, Van Morrison, or actually anyone who fits into any one of the genres I've listed under labels- and doesn't really give a shit whether an album's influential or canon or whatever

A-

Al Green - Call Me (1973)

1. Call Me (Come Back Home) 3:03

2. Have You Been Making Out O.K. 3:42

3. Stand Up 3:25

4. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 3:10

5. Your Love Is Like the Morning Sun 3:09

6. Here I Am (Come and Take Me) 4:14

7. Funny How Time Slips Away 5:33

8. You Ought to Be With Me 3:15

9. Jesus Is Waiting 5:36

Whenever I read reviews calling Let's Stay Together 'imperfect' I got all mad 'cause it featured the title track and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?, both of which are sorta perfect soul songs, but then I heard Call Me which is just so good- it's country soul!- and found that those calling Let's Stay Together imperfect often at least admit that Call Me is, ya know, a masterpiece

Al Green reached his creative peak with the brilliant Call Me, the most inventive and assured album of his career.
-AMG

I originally believed people would buy this only so they wouldn't have to get up and flip I'm Still in Love with You, and I was probably right. But no other album documents Green's genius for the daring nuance so thrillingly. "Stand Up" is the subtlest black identity song ever, "Jesus Is Waiting" a profession of faith you can believe in, and "Here I Am" an uptempo vehicle that sneaks up from in front of you. The interpretations of country weepers by Hank Williams and Willie Nelson are definitive. The vocals are tougher than on the two "classic" Green LPs that preceded it. And the rhythms are irresistible. Al Jackson's (and Henry Grimes's) thick third-beat 4/4 kicks in with all kinds of extra surprises, and as always it's only a frame for a music that moves as one sinuous body, with Green dodging and weaving at the head. A+
-Robert Christgau

A+


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Darrell Banks - Here to Stay (1969)

1. Just Because Your Love Is Gone 3:31

2. Forgive Me 2:31

3. Only the Strong Survive 2:42

4. Don't Know What to Do 2:24

5. When a Man Loves a Woman 3:05

6. We'll Get Over 2:34

7. Beautiful Feeling 3:27

8. I Could Never Hate Her 2:08

9. Never Alone 2:44

10. No-One Blinder (Than a Man Who Won't See) 3:01

11. My Love Is Strictly Reserved for You 2:49

I'll quote this guy:

The story of Darrell Banks is pretty tragic... A man possessed with a gutbucket, voluminous, bull-hornesque vocal steeped deep in the gospel tradition, cutting some now highly acclaimed records ("Open the Door to Your Heart", "Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You") only to wind up getting shot dead by an off duty police officer in Detroit in 1970... at the height of his career, Darrell Banks was silenced forever.

But the small legacy he has left behind has enticed Soul fans of all spectres; the Southern buffs, the Detroit lovers and, especially, the Northern Soul groovers.

For Southern Soul addicts such as myself, Banks' 1969 album for Volt (a subsidiary of Stax), is an unabashed masterpiece. Although much of it was recorded in Detroit - producer Don Davis' home base - the feel is decidedly Southern.

"Just Because Your Love Is Gone", written by the 'WeThree' writers at Stax (Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher and Raymond Jackson) sets the tone for much of 'Here to Stay'. A hard socking, mid tempo beater heavy on the backbeat, featuring wailing horns and the tiniest touch of strings.

Producer Don Davis proves his skills as a guitarist on the self-written "Forgive Me", a gorgeous steady groovin' belter with a snappy Middle Eastern-vibe on the bridge.

Banks' gruffy, powerhouse vocal is put to excellent use on a tremendous take on Jerry Butler's classic "Only the Strong Survive" - the arrangement here sounds very similar to the one that accompanied Elvis Presley's version on his 'From Elvis in Memphis' set.

And where covers are concerned, what about a truly melancholy, swooping rendition of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman". A bit lengthier than the original, it also sports infectious horn riffs. Banks' version, through his vocal, is a bit rougher than Sledge's as well, but I like it all the same.

The brooding, nonchalant strut "Don't Know What to Do" steers thangs into funkier waters; a brilliant horn break and more of those boogaloo, fatback drums.

"We'll Get Over" would later be recorded by The Staple Singers, and Banks' version is a bit more rugged than theirs, but that pleading, crying voice makes this an essential bit of gospelfide testifyin' nonetheless.

The absolute highlight here is the masterfully arranged, simply beautiful mid tempo ballad "Beautiful Feeling" - Don Davis' cracklin' guitar lines and a solitary, weeping flute guide Banks on the verses, whereas horns, strings and passionate backing vocals all come crashing through on the heavy, heavy chorus. Sheer bliss. Should have been a HUGE charter...

The shortest track here, "I Could Never Hate Her" ads a little downhome blues to the funky mix. Another perfect showcase for Darrell's relentless, raspy, full-throttled voice.

"Never Alone" by far is the poppiest of tunes on the album, with its slightly polished, Motown-esque vibe, but the persistent drums and Banks' fierce vocal attack add plenty of grit.

From the gloss it's straight to the FUNK, as Banks' gets down on the frantically stompin' "No-One Blinder (Than a Man Who Won't See)", another great bootie-shaker co-written by Don Davis. That chuggin' groove just won't let up...

But Darrell ends this soulful experience by belting out a quintessential deep, DEEP soul ballad. "My Love Is Strictly Reserved for You" features his finest vocal on the chorus (and that's saying something when keeping in mind the incredibly high quality of the LP as a whole), really ripping things up.

This is a wonderful, funky, gospelfide, smoking tour de force of neatly arranged yet husky and gutsy, raw powerhouse SOUL. Absolutely essential.
-soulmakossa

A-

Doris Duke - I'm A Loser (1969)

1. He's Gone 4:34

2. I Can't Do Without You 2:06

3. Feet Start Walking 2:28

4. Ghost of Myself 3:06

5. Your Best Friend 2:48

6. The Feeling Is Right 2:44

7. I Don't Care Anymore 3:05

8. Congratulations Baby 2:00

9. We're More Than Strangers 3:28

10. Divorce Decree 2:28

11. How Was I to Know You Cared 2:38

12. To the Other Woman (I'm the Other Woman) 2:55

Sort of a cult album, Doris Duke's I'm A Loser is closer in terms of emotional rawness to James Carr's You Got My Mind Messed Up than to Mary Wells' My Guy or even Irma Thomas' Wish Someone Would Care. Her voice is moving, the lyrics are expectedly ridiculously sentimental, and the arrangements are always tasteful, even when the strings kick in.

A

Irma Thomas - Wish Someone Would Care (1964)

1. Wish Someone Would Care

2. I Need Your Love So Bad

3. Without Love (There Is Nothing)

4. Please Send Me Someone to Love

5. Another Woman's Man

6. Sufferin' With the Blues

7. Time Is on My Side

8. While the City Sleeps

9. Straight From the Heart

10. I've Been There

11. I Need You So

12. Break-a-Way

Strangely overlooked soul record from the Soul Queen of New Orleans going out to cut deep, and doing so, and to be sweet, and being that, and to display vulnerability, and displaying that thanks to her voice perhaps accidentally being isolated way at the top of the mix

Usually considered a masterpiece by those who manage to hear it

A

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James Carr - You Got My Mind Messed Up (1967)

1. Pouring Water on a Drowning Man

2. Love Attack

3. Come Back to Me, Baby

4. Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore

5. That's What I Want to Know

6. These Ain't Raindrops

7. The Dark End of the Street

8. I'm Going for Myself Now

9. Lovable Girl

10. Forgetting You

11. She's Better Than You

12. You've Got My Mind Messed Up

Sentimental songs, always depressing as shit, with Carr's voice paralyzing the listener just through being that good. I've not heard a more moving vocal performance than Carr's on Forgetting You.

A soul classic.

A+

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