Name: King Northern Soul, Vol. 2
Brand: Kent (U.K.)
SKU: 160984
Price: 13.84 USD
Availability: InStock

King Northern Soul, Vol. 2

Rating

Album: King Northern Soul, Vol. 2
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Ain't You Glad - (previously unreleased)
2)	I've Got to Live While I Can - Freddie Williams
3)	Let Me Be (A Steppin' Soul) - Charles Spurling
4)	Mr. Goodtime - James Duncan
5)	It Must Be Love - Dan Brantley
6)	I Don't Have to Worry
7)	Your Love
8)	(I Don't Need Nobody to Help Me) Keep Up With My Man - Gloria Edwards
9)	Someone to Treat Me (The Way You Use To)
10)	She Made a Mistake
11)	I'll Be Leaving You Soon
12)	You've Got Love on Top of Love - Charles Spurling
13)	Mr. Cool - Charles Spurling
14)	Here's My Heart - The Solars
15)	One Hundred Years - Freddie King
16)	It Won't Be This Way (Always) - King Pins
17)	So Many Days
18)	They're Trying to Tear Us Apart
19)	Daddy's House
20)	Harlem Clown, The
21)	So Many People - (previously unreleased)
22)	Helpless Baby
23)	Once I Had a Love
24)	What Can I Do - Donnie Elbert

Album: King Northern Soul, Vol. 2
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Ain't You Glad - (previously unreleased)
2)	I've Got to Live While I Can - Freddie Williams
3)	Let Me Be (A Steppin' Soul) - Charles Spurling
4)	Mr. Goodtime - James Duncan
5)	It Must Be Love - Dan Brantley
6)	I Don't Have to Worry
7)	Your Love
8)	(I Don't Need Nobody to Help Me) Keep Up With My Man - Gloria Edwards
9)	Someone to Treat Me (The Way You Use To)
10)	She Made a Mistake
11)	I'll Be Leaving You Soon
12)	You've Got Love on Top of Love - Charles Spurling
13)	Mr. Cool - Charles Spurling
14)	Here's My Heart - The Solars
15)	One Hundred Years - Freddie King
16)	It Won't Be This Way (Always) - King Pins
17)	So Many Days
18)	They're Trying to Tear Us Apart
19)	Daddy's House
20)	Harlem Clown, The
21)	So Many People - (previously unreleased)
22)	Helpless Baby
23)	Once I Had a Love
24)	What Can I Do - Donnie Elbert

Performer Notes

Performers include: Charles Spurling, Mary Johnson, Mill Evans, Lori & Lance, Donnie Elbert, Freddie Williams, Regina Sherard, Freddy King, James Duncan, Stratoliners, King Pins, Billy Soul.
Contains 24 tracks.
Arranger: Allison.
Like Vol. 1, this assembles King soul records, mostly of the up-tempo variety, that you've probably never heard of unless you spend a great deal of your time collecting old soul 45s. The chronological reach is 1957-1973, though most of the cuts come from the late '60s and early '70s; three of them were previously unreleased. The only artist that most listeners will know is Freddy King, represented by his 1962 single "One Hundred Years." Those formalities out of the way, this is a pretty average soul compilation, acceptable but unexceptional in the quality of the material and the distinction of the artists. There's some funk chops in the beats and arrangements, but it's not particularly James Brown-indebted for the most part. There's not much here that demands attention as a neglected gem, and indeed some is forgettable, though at its best it's pleasant soul of various stripes, from mild funk to girl group-dipped soul to Aretha Franklin imitations. The Solars seem to be doing their damnedest to cross the Impressions with Mel and Tim on "Here's My Heart," and Charles Spurling's "Mr. Cool" has a waltz-like beat that's pretty unusual for soul of the era. Freddy King's "One Hundred Years" is a standout in his catalog in that it doesn't bear blues influence, but sounds rather like the New York soul of the Drifters. The King Pins' "It Won't Be This Way (Always)," which sounds like Sam Cooke's lightest efforts, was actually a Top 20 R&B hit in 1963. If it sounds like this all still doesn't add up to anything substantial, that's correct, but it'll fill in some gaps for diehards. ~ Richie Unterberger

Professional Reviews

Living Blues (7-8/02, p.84) - "...Dominated by up-tempo pounders...Covering 1957 to 1973, the collection features recordings made in Chicago, Houston, Macon, Muscle Shoals, Alberquerque and Cincinnati..."