VA - Dirty Laundry The Soul of Black Country [2005] + More Dirty Laundry [2008]

VA - Dirty Laundry The Soul of Black Country [2005] + More Dirty Laundry [2008]

The first installment in this series, not only wants to reveal long forgotten treasures of music history, and shed light on the often neglected Country roots of Soul stars, but put Afro-American Country musicians into a context beyond their genre. Not only do black Americans make up for a considerable share of Country's audience, they have also contributed - a fact very often overlooked by the media - a great deal to the heritage of Country music as songwriters, producers, and singers, who worked against the white clich? of their favorite genre. From afar, it might seem that the Afro-American presence in Country music started and ended with Charly Pride. But whoever takes a closer look at the relationship between black artists and Country music will soon discover a the story of a great love, sorely tried and often denied. 24 tracks including cuts from Ella Washington, Joe Simon, Candy Staton, Betty Lavette, Arthur Alexander and many others.

The second installment is another excellent compilation. Some of the tunes on here drift more towards the soul end of the spectrum at times, but even those have at least a little dab of country in their composition. Some songs do a nice job of mixing the two genres, while other tunes are so backwoods and countrified that many listeners would be shocked to learn that they were sung by a black man ... or woman, in some cases. Most listeners will be familiar with a few big soul music names on this CD, some of whom you would not associate with country music, such as James Brown, Ike & Tina Turner, Joe Tex, Margie Joseph, Johnny Adams, Solomon Burke Ruth Brown, and even Sammy Davis Jr. (who does a great cover of the old western swing classic "Smoke Smoke Smoke (That Cigarette)." There are also a few artists who are known to swing from both sides of the musical plate, such as Arthur Alexander, Bobby Womack, and Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown,. And then there are some artists who are just died-in-the-wool country, no matter what their skin color, such as O.B. McClinton, O.C. Smith, and the amazing Stoney Edwards (one of my favorites from the first volume, who is represented with one track on this collection too). Among the bigger delights on this collection are the unknown Vicki Vann doing "You Must Think My Heart Has Swinging Doors" (great title!) and the album's closer, the hilarious "Pardon Me (I've Got Someone to Kill)" by Andre Williams. Brilliant stuff! (Amazon)

I've always thought there were a lot of emotional bonds and sonic links between Country Music and Southern Soul Music, and collections like these offer ample evidence.

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Track list 1

01    Ella Washington - He Called Me Baby    :03:02
02    Joe Simon     - Chokin' Kind    :02:40
03    Bobby Powell - Your Cheating Heart    :02:36
04    Arthur Alexander - Love's Where Life Begins    :02:28
05    Candi Staton - Stand By Your Man    :02:54
06    Bettye Lavette - What Condition My Condition Is In    :02:36
07    Roscoe Shelton - There's A Heartbreak Somewhere    :03:01
08    Stoney Edwards - She's My Rock    :02:26
09    Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Mama Mambo    :02:18
10    Earl Gaines - You Are My Sunshine    :02:41
11    Etta James     - Almost Persuaded    :03:22
12    Bobby Womack - Bouquet Of Roses    :02:47
13    Johnny Adams - In A Moment Of Weakness    :02:35
14    Bettye Swann - Just Because You Can't Be Mine    :02:35
15    Freddie North - Don't Take Her She's All I Got    :02:43
16    Otis William - Shutters & Boards    :02:25
17    Bobby Jonz - Snap Your Fingers    :03:01
18    Andre Williams & 2 Star Tabernacle    Jet Black Daddy Lilly White Mama    :04:33
19    Pointer Sisters - Fairy Tale    :05:06
20    James & Bobby Purify - Sixteen Tons    :02:27
21    James Brown - Your Cheating Heart    :02:58
22    Willie Hobbs - Till I Get It Right    :02:41
23    Curtis Mayfield - Dirty Laundry    :04:08
24    Solomon Burke - I Can't Stop Loving You    :05:25

Track list 2

1    Johnny Adams - Hell Yes I Cheated    :03:33
2    O.B. McClinton - If Loving You Is Wrong    :02:53
3    Eric Mercury - A Gift For You    :03:47
4    Lou Johnson - She Thinks I Still Care    :03:13
5    Margie Joseph - Touch Your Woman    :03:12
6    O.B. McClinton - Talk To My Childrens Mama    :02:58
7    Joe Tex - Just To Win Your Love    :02:28
8    Arthur Alexander - Everyday I Have To Cry    :02:45
9    Vicki Vann - You Must Think My Heart Has Swinging Doors    :02:55
10    Ike & Tina Turner - Don't Believe Nothing    :03:16
11    Clarence Frogman Henry - I Told My Pillow    :02:15
12    Joe Tex - King Of The Road    :02:12
13    Sammy Davis Jr. - Smoke Smoke Smoke    :03:03
14    Stoney Edwards - Honkey Tonk Heaven    :02:17
15    Clyde McPhatter - I'm Movin On    :01:57
16    Ruth Brown - Tennessee Waltz    :04:15
17    Solomon Burke - He'll Have To Go    :03:19
18    Bobby Womack - Point Of No Return    :02:45
19    O.C. Smith - The Son Of Hickory Holler Tramp    :03:53
20    James Brown - Three Hearts In A Tangle    :02:53
21    Junior Parker - Walking The Floor    :02:27
22    Joe Simon     - Someone To Give My Love To    :03:08
23    Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Amos Moses    :03:25
24    Andre Williams - Pardon Me (I've Got Someone To Kill)    :02:42

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