Various Artists – Shake What You Brought
- Soul Treasures from the SSS International Label
(US Sundazed, SC 11154, 2005), 20 tracks, 55 min
Mickey Murray: Sticky Sue/Betty Harris: There's A Break In The Road /Sam Dees:
Lonely For You Baby/Clarence Murray: Don't Talk Like That/Bettye LaVette:
Piece Of My Heart/Danny White: Natural Soul Brother/Johnny Barfield & the Men of
S.O.U.L.: Soul Butter/Big John Hamilton: Take A Chance With Me/Mr. Jamo: Shake
What You Brought With You (part 1)/Robert Parker: The Hiccup/Mickey Murray: Hit
Record/Jo Jo Benson: Having My Glory/Peggy Scott: You Can Never Get Something
For Nothing/Wilbert Harrison: Pretty Little Women/Willie Charles Gray: I've
Really Got Something To Be Proud Of/Johnny Soul: I Almost Called Your Name/Jake Porter:
I Wanta Make Her Love Me Till The Cows Come Home/Johnny Adams: Proud Woman/Bill Hemmans
and Clay's Composite: Soul Serenade/Clifford Curry: Soul Ranger
Various Artists – My Goodness, Yes
- Soul Treasures from the Silver Fox Label
(US Sundazed, SC 11155, 2005), 20 tracks, 58 min
Reuben Bell: Action Speaks Louder Than Words/Robert Parker: You See Me/Bettye LaVette: Do Your Duty/Eddy Giles: So Deep In Love/Willie Hobbs: Love 'Em and Leave 'Em/Gloria Taylor: You Got To Pay The Price/Laura Greene and Johnny McKinnis: Pledging My Love/"Big" Al Downing: Cornbread Row/George Perkins & the Silver Stars: Cryin' In The Streets (part 1)/Marilyn Haywood: Mama's Baby (Ain't A Baby No More)/Robert Parker: You Shakin' Things Up/Bettye LaVette: Love's Made A Fool Of Me/Willie Hobbs: Yes, My Goodness, Yes/Gloria Taylor: Grounded (part 1)/Bettye LaVette: Games People Play/Hank Ballard: Sunday Morning Coming Soon/Rosalind Madison: Use What You've Got/Bright Lights: Motor City Funk (part 1)/South Street Soul Guitars: Poppin' Popcorn/Bettye LaVette: He Made A Woman Out Of Me
Shelby Singleton's Nashville-based SSS label had some highly-respected artists in
its roster during its active period between 1967 and 1971 and it produced some memorable
soul sides, although on this Shake compilation they put emphasis on dancers and stompers.
Those that stand out among the uptempo cuts include Clarence Murray's
Don't Talk Like That, Jo Jo Benson's Having My Glory and
Johnny Adams'Proud Woman. The title cut is an instrumental with
Jamo Thomas uttering a nonsense line here and there. The CD, however,
is graced by a couple of impressive deepies - Peggy Scott's You Can Never
Get Something For Nothing and Johnny Soul's I Almost Called Your Name
- along with Big John Hamilton's bluesy Take A Chance With Me and
Bettye LaVette's teary version of Piece Of My Heart. (Rating: 5/10)
The liner notes on Shake as well as on the Goodness compilation are by Bill Dahl.
Silver Fox was co-owned by Lelan Rogers together with Shelby, and some same
artists appear on this subsidiary, too, in 1969 and '70. Again, Northern scene seems
to be the main market with, again, some uptempo goodies on display, such as
Eddy Giles'So Deep In Love and Gloria Taylor's infectious hit,
You Got To Pay The Price.
This time, however, there are many tracks that bring the tempo down and make you
stop and take notice. Willie Hobbs'Love 'Em And Leave 'Em is a
slow testimony, and few artists can go wrong with the ever-beautiful
Pledging My Love (here performed by Laura Greene and Johnny McKinnis).
George Perkins' well-known, gospel-infused message song, Cryin' In The Streets,
is as stunning as ever, whereas Willie Hobbs does a decent job on Yes, My Goodness, Yes,
although I still prefer Jerry Butler's interpretation of the song. Hank Ballard's
take on Kris Kristofferson's Sunday Morning Coming Down is slightly tame,
but not so with Bettye and her big-voiced renditions of Love's Made A Fool Of Me,
Games People Play and He Made A Woman Out Of Me. (Rating: 7/10) - Heikki Suosalo
