Sunday, December 16, 2007

Betty & Charles and Eddie Houston Soul Chant

My old friend Garry Cape continues to knock out quality sides on his Soulscape label. The latest is a collection featuring sides by Betty & Charles and Eddie Houston.

Brilliant southern soul from the Malaco scene -- slices of work from both the late 60s and late 70s, some of which is previously unissued! The set begins with some great work by the duo of Betty Johnson and Charles Warren -- singing together in a mode that has echoes of some of the other southern soul duos of the time, but which also seems to sparkle a bit more -- almost a Marvin/Tammi influence which sneaks in nicely on some tracks. Tracks include both Capitol and Crazy Horse singles, plus unreleased tracks -- including "Loving & Kind", "It's All Over", "That's Why I Call You Mine", "Can't Find Love", and "Something For Everyone". CD then moves into some solo work by each singer -- including "No Good Man", "Sunshine Man", and the funky "Soul Girl" by Betty Johnson -- and "I'm Praying" and "Soul Chant" by Charles Warren. The CD then moves into 8 more numbers from Eddie Houston -- rare Capitol singles and a few more unreleased tracks, all done with a nicely gritty southern soul groove. Eddie's sides are all from 1968 and 1969 -- and feature some great early examples of the Malaco sound in action. Tracks include "I Can't Go Wrong", "Simon Says", "That's How Much I Love You", and "Walk Through This World Without Me". Dusty Groove

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