The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976
is a two-disc compilation of fantastic R&B tracks from the Minaret label.
Most of these tracks are tunes I hadn’t heard before. It’s ridiculous that
these songs aren’t in the popular consciousness, for a lot of these tracks can
completely hold their own next to the most well-known R&B acts. This
compilation features twenty singles, including the flip sides, organized in
chronological order. Most of the tracks are from 1969. It is a true pleasure to
listen to this collection, which includes such artists as Big John Hamilton,
Doris Allen and Genie Brooks.
Big John Hamilton
Big John Hamilton is the
artist most represented in this collection. The first disc kicks off with “The
Train,” a good, slow blues number with nice touches on piano and guitar. For
me, it’s Big John’s vocals that really sell this tune. The flip side, “Big Bad
John,” is a cool R&B tune with some well-placed silences in the vocals.
Like, “They call me Big Bad John. I don’t
give a (silence) if they do.” Both of these tracks were written by John Lee
Hamilton and Leroy Lloyd.
“I Have No One” is one of
those great slow R&B tracks full of glorious yearning. “I need somebody to tell me everything is all
right.” Its flip side is “I Just Want To Thank You.” I love what he does
vocally on this one, although the phrase “feeling
that I feel” is rather lame.
He gets funkier with the
somewhat humorous “Big Fanny” (which features some great stuff on horns). The
flip side, “How Much Can A Man Take,” is one of my favorite tracks in this
collection. He sings, “When I finally
make up my mind to leave you, you don’t let me go,” and then says he stays
on just for memory’s sake. It was written by Becki Bluefield, Robert James
Benninghoff and Finley Duncan.
“Pretty Girls” is a fun
tune with some joyous bursts on horn, and some catchy work on guitar over a
great groove. It was written by John Lee Hamilton and Leroy Lloyd. That
single’s flip side is a gorgeous rendition of “Before The Next Teardrop Falls.”
I dig the instrumental
section of “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” with that great piano lead. That song
has a cool groove. And you can’t beat an opening line like “If you’re looking for a fool, here I am”
(from “If You’re Looking For A Fool”). Has anyone ever sounded so happy at the
prospect of being used? “If you need
somebody you can cheat on/A heart you can break every day.”
Big John Hamilton opens
this collection, and also closes it. I really love what he does vocally on the
closing track, “Free Me” (one of the few tracks from the 1970s). You can really
hear the need in his voice, and some of the weariness. It’s a very effective
song written by John Hamilton and Finley Duncan.
Genie Brooks
The collection includes
two singles from Genie Brooks. The first is “Fine Time.” A good groove and some
wonderful backing vocals repeating the title line make this track totally
delightful. The flip side, “Juanita,” is a very cool track about a man who believes
his woman has another man. Genie Brooks is great at expressing worry. This one
too makes good use of backing vocals.
The other is “Helping
Hand,” a slow number about tough breaks and the story of one man’s journey
through life without a helping hand. You know he means it when he sings, “I wish I could start all over.” That
single’s flip side, a funky dance number, gives this compilation its title.
The Double Soul
The Double Soul released
just one single, and “Blue Diamonds” features very impressive vocal performances
by both men in this duo. On “I Can’t Use You,” they blend their voices well.
It’s an excellent tune.
Leroy Lloyd And The Dukes
Leroy Lloyd, who co-wrote
several of the Big John Hamilton numbers, contributes a few singles of his own.
“Sewanee Strut” is an insanely fun R&B dance instrumental track. “A Taste
Of The Blues” is a seriously cool track with a great, mean vibe. All of the
musicians really get a chance to shine on this instrumental track, which is one
of the album’s highlights and was written by Leroy Lloyd.
Leroy Lloyd And The Dukes
teamed up with Count Willie for the grew slow groove of “I’ve Got To Tell You.”
The flip side, “Double Funk,” is a funky instrumental track that gets a bit
repetitive.
Willie Cobbs
“I’ll Love Only You”
opens with some delightful work on horns. This song finds a man promising he’ll
be true, and begging the woman not to hurt him. This track is one of the many
highlights of this collection. There is a cool lead guitar section, with some
nice backing by the horns. “Don’t Worry About Me” is a very nice blues tune,
with harmonica at the start. That harmonica tells you right away someone’s been
hurt. And then Willie Cobbs sings, “You
know I love you/I’m your slave/You know that I need you/Night and day.” But
of course she leaves him. Later in the song there is some seriously wonderful
work on harmonica, backed by horns. Both of these tracks were written by Willie
Cobbs.
Doris Allen
Doris Allen has a
tremendous voice. “A Shell Of A Woman” has a good groove, with her excellent
vocals over it, first delivered almost like spoken word, then given with a
serious power. There is a scream and a cry in her voice. This is one of my
favorite tracks, mostly because of her vocal performance. Its flip side, “Kiss
Yourself For Me,” a sweet love tune, has a much straighter delivery, until the
end when she belts it out.
This compilation also
includes two singles she did with Big John Hamilton. The first, “A Place In My
Heart,” is a nice, slow love song. The second is a great, energetic, funky
cover of Buddy Miles’ “Them Changes.”
Gable Reed
Gable Reed’s “I’m Your
Man” is a good, slow soul number coming from a place of pain and promise. Quite
different is its flip side, which made my friend and I laugh the first time we
put this disc on. “Who’s Been Warming My Oven” is a great, fun tune full of
none-too-subtle euphemisms. “Who’s been
warming my oven since I’ve been gone?” Of course he then sings, “While I was out cooking in another man’s
pot, somebody’s been keeping my oven hot.” So you can’t take his complaints
too seriously.
This compilation also
includes singles from Johnny Dynamite and Willie Gable.
CD Track List
Disc One
- The Train
- Big Bad John
- I Have No One
- I Just Want To Thank You
- Fine Time
- Juanita
- Blue Diamonds
- I Can’t Use You
- Big Fanny
- How Much Can A Man Take
- Pretty Girls
- Before The Next Teardrop Falls
- The Night The Angels Cried
- Everybody’s Clown
- Helping Hand
- South Side Of Soul Street
- Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
- Love Comes And It Goes
- Sewanee Strut
- A Taste Of The Blues
Disc Two
- I’ll Love Only You
- Don’t Worry About Me
- If You’re Looking For A Fool
- Take This Hurt Off Me Fool
- A Shell Of A Woman
- Kiss Yourself For Me
- I’m Your Man
- Who’s Been Warming My Oven
- A Place In My Heart
- Let A Little Love In
- Row, Row, Row
- Eternally
- Them Changes
- Bright Star
- Lift Me Up
- Just Seeing You Again
- I’ve Got To Tell You
- Double Funk
- I Got To Get Myself Somebody
- Free Me
The South Side Of Soul Street is scheduled to be released on August
13, 2013 through Omnivore Recordings.
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