Various
Open Your Mind
Two originally unreleased tracks will delight completists of Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. Aretha co-produced "The Boy From Bombay" with Quincy Jones perhaps a little too quirky at the time while Warwick's Ashford & Simpson-produced "Someone Else Gets The Price" has all the hallmarks of a missed hit. Philadelphia's Pieces Of A Dream, discovered by Grover Washington Jr., were fêted across Europe throughout the 80s. Their Elektra album Imagine This (1983) yielded the wonderfully moody "It's Time For Love". Further mining of the Elektra vaults yields a highly collectable Phat Phili Mix of Teddy's "Believe In Love", alongside a jewel from Leon Ware's Rockin' You Eternally (1981). I was fortunate to get to know this musical genius very well but he is still underappreciated as a master of sensuous soul; "Got To Be Loved" ranks among his finest. There's not enough space here to fully cover Gerald Levert's "What About Me", but my liner notes to the Jai Alai release JAR14 "Top Of My Head" detail just how talented he was and this is further proof. The two least-known artists make a strong impression. Andy Bey's "I Know This Love Can't Be Wrong" recalls Jon Lucien at his best, while Phajja a promising Warner Bros. signing in 1997 disappeared after just two albums; their Cutfather & Joe production here is as polished as any hit by The Emotions. By the time Etta James recorded "Evening Of Love", she was four decades into her career, delivering this beautiful ballad with total assurance. Truly epic Southern soul. Text by: Steve Hobbs