Soul Voices - 60s Big Ballads - VA - Kent Records CD

Soul Voices - 60s Big Ballads - VA - Kent Records CD 

Various Artists  

CDKEND 490 

Kent Records  

Format: Audio CD 

Release Date 30th April 2020 

Majestic male vocalists singing over subtly orchestrated arrangements of superb songs were the pinnacle of 1960s black music sophistication.

A snippet of the release notes written by Ady Croasdell follows below. 

Male soul balladeers from the 60s have always been particularly admired. Roy Hamilton, Walter Jackson, Lou Johnson and Ben E King – some of the A-listers featured here – epitomise the genre and have devoted followers. This grand sound evolved from the first soul records which emanated in the early 60s mainly in New York, where three quarters of the tracks here were recorded.

Four are previously unissued. Kenny Carter’s ‘Big Bad Rain’ is a superb Larry Banks and Herman Kelley song, stunningly arranged by New York studio maestro Garry Sherman. Clarence Pinckney is lesser-known but delivers the Billy Terrell song ‘Just Outside Of Lonely’ with aplomb. Prolific recording artists Junior Lewis and Billy Watkins both add a new song to their already impressive CVs. Lewis’ recording is a demo of the tender Buddy Lucas song ‘I Love You So Much’ which was never covered for a release. Its sparse backing seems appropriate to the song, especially next to Jimmy Radcliffe’s ‘Through A Long And Sleepless Night’, which has a minimal arrangement but made it to 45. Billy Watkins sang in most soul styles in a 20-year Los Angeles recording career. His reading of the jazz standard ‘I Want To Be Loved’ was clearly Sam Cooke-inspired and reeks of sophistication.

Tracks
01 Forget The Girl - Walter Jackson
02 They Say I'm Afraid (Of Losing You) - Freddy Butler
03 Heartache (Hurry On By) - Roy Hamilton
04 Like A Big Bad Rain - Kenny Carter
05 (There's) No Place To Hide - Ben E King
06 Lonely People Can't Afford To Cry - Clyde McPhatter
07 Gloomy Day - Herb Johnson
08 Just Outside Of Lonely - Clarence Pinckney
09 Seeing Is Believing - Tony Mason
10 Don't Make Me Over - Tommy Hunt
11 Reach Out For Me - Lou Johnson
12 Now You Are Gone - Brooks O'Dell
13 You Got Too Much Going For You - Jimmy Beaumont
14 A Day Or Two - Garrett Saunders
15 Where Does Love Go - Freddie Scott
16 I Can't Stand To See You Cry - Chuck Jackson
17 Anytime You Want Me - Garnet Mimms
18 Can't Stand Your Fooling Around - Gene Burks
19 I Want To Be Loved - Billy Watkins
20 Lover's Competition - James Carr
21 You Are A Lucky So And So - Sammy Sevens
22 Good For A Lifetime - Al Hibbler
23 Through A Long And Sleepless Night - Jimmy Radcliffe
24 I Love You So Much - Junior Lewis

Listen to two tracks above