The soulful quality continues unabated, this time with more added funk, on another excellent offering.
It begins with an instrumental version of the hit single Way Back Home (the vocal version would appear on the next album). It just sounds great - the saxophone and the general vibe is just sublime. I am running out of superlatives in writing these reviews! Up next is another stone cold Jr. Walker corker in the stonking sax-laden soul/pop of Take Me Girl I'm Ready - the first Jr. Walker single I ever bought. It is a wonderful tune. Classic Motown. However, it doesn't always make "best of" Motown lists and it should make every single one.
The group's cover of Traffic's Feelin' Alright is bluesy and funky, as you would expect. There really isn't much that they can't cope with. This was 1971 and it was the beginning of the era of funky "message" protest songs from artists like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Undisputed Truth. Walker and his mates get in on the thing with the delicious piano, drums and sax groove of Right On Brothers And Sisters. The song carries a message of racial harmony consistent which much of the period's soul output. Teach Them To Pray is, not surprisingly, a spirit-lifting, euphoric gospelly number, full of rousing backing vocals.
What was I saying about Beatles covers? Here comes another one, George Harrison's Something, done mainly instrumentally at the beginning, with Walker's sumptuous sax sweeping over some female backing vocals until half way through when we get some funkier rhythms and an equally funky vocal. Listen to that crystal clear, razor sharp percussion too.
The album's funkiest moment is on a great cover of The Temptations' Psychedelic Shack. The nice thing about Motown acts covering each other's material was that they never let you down - there were so many great covers that further enhanced the original track. You can listen to the same song done by two or three different artists and enjoy all the versions. Just revel in that deep bass intro to Pieces Of A Man and then Jr.'s sax comes blowing in, followed by a seriously gritty true soul vocal. Solid stuff indeed. This is seriously quality soul music. These Things Will Keep Me Loving You is soulfully energising. It has also been covered by Diana Ross and The Velvelettes. The latter is a Northern Soul favourite and more of a stomper than Walker's more soulful version. Ross's version is closer to Walker's and is most appealing too. A classic example of multi-artist covers.
The sound was superb on this album too. Wonderful and warm and in killer seventies stereo. This was a criminally underrated, little-mentioned album. I read a review recently that praised Jr. Walker's work, but added that he was not Marvin or Aretha. Well, you know what, he was up there with them. Yes sir.
