August 07 2008
Fallin’ Off the Reel II
posted by Steven Shaw at 8:58 pm
Fallin’ Off the Reel II (Truth and Soul)
Maybe I’m too hard on polyester. But man, when the sweat hits it that stuff is rank.
This here is a collection of soul, funk and jazz singles from the Truth and Soul label. Like polyester, it stinks in some places.
But with music, and unlike polyester, that’s a good thing. We all need a little funk in our lives so here’s an easily digestible collection which will make you look good when played in the company of guests.
They’re rare enough cuts too, with reissues of limited edition 45″ singles that were only ever pressed in quantities of 2000.
Truth and Soul is more a musicians’ collective than a label although it does handle a back catalogue of soul/funk bequeathed by the now defunct label Soul Fire. It was formed in New York City in 2004 by Jeff Silverman and former Dap-Kings and Mighty Imperials saxophonist Leon Michels. The label has a strong focus on contemporary acts riding the so-called soul revival wave as well as revealing some previously unheralded legends.
There’s some old stuff here with the “Ball of Confusion” sounding “Just a Little While Longer”, productions by Tyrone Ashley (real name Sammy Campbell) and his revolving door membership band the Funky Music Machine. He does a good version of the Four Tops’ “Can’t Help Myself’. Plus there’s the sultry, Philly sounding Black Velvets, also produced by Ashley.
This compilation is a little restricted in that it’s more a label sampler than a fan-compiled product. That means there is a bit of a jump around between flavours, with some Latin beats via Bronx River Parkway, a collective of musicians from both New York and San Puerto Rico.
Lee Fields
There’s also the trace of hip hop with Leon Michels’ band El Michels Affair and their guest MCs, including Raekwon — but their track “This One’s For My Baby” has the sinister edge of a Portishead track. And in the creaky old soul department there’s also Timothy McNealy’s version of “What’s Going On”, which manages to pull off what many can’t/won’t approach, covering Marvin Gaye well. Comes complete with antique funky bassline and recorded-in-the-red call-response vocals.
But the big attraction for me here is North Carolina raised Lee Fields, backed by the Expressions. Fields is a great soul/funk singer, who’s been around since the early 1970s and has often been accused of being merely a James Brown copy. His gritty vocals and minor successes along the way have seen him persevere. He has also collaborated with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, through the Daptone label and its predecessor Desco.
Fields performs the smooth “My World” and “Love Comes and Goes”, the latter supported in true Sly and the Family Stone fashion by a loose, chanting backing vocal section.
The album is capped off with the previously unreleased jazz-funk of “Odyssey Revised” by the Fabulous Three, a hypnotic late night call that sees the album tucked up all warm and snug. It’s a gem.