Arrangers: A. Wright; Hank Jacobs; Ray Jackson; Arthur Wright; Delilah Moore .
This is the third and last volume of Kent/Ace's compilations of material from the small Los Angeles-based Money label, with a couple dozen tracks (four previously unreleased) of soul from the mid-'60s to the early 1970s. Money never really established a signature sound or, for that matter, sold many records, Bettye Swann being the only name here that will mean anything to the average fan. By its specialist nature, this is the kind of CD that only very serious soul fans will seek out, let alone return to again and again. But as these things go, it's above average, though plainly stated it's consistently derivative of trends initiated by bigger labels and scenes. The Choice of Colors' "If She Wants to Go" is so close in feel to the Norman Whitfield-produced late-'60s Temptations, in fact, that it sounds almost like a Temptations outtake with less talented guide vocalists. Eddie Horan's "I'm Gonna Speak Out" -- as it happens, the cut that's sequenced directly afterward -- is a ringer for the early-'70s Norman Whitfield-produced Temptations, with its hard funk slant and socially conscious lyrics, and is a definite highlight of this compilation. Other cuts likewise echo in-vogue soul styles pleasurably if unoriginally, like Filmore Street Soul Rebellions' "Put Your Weight on It" part two, a dynamic instrumental "party" soul outing with traces of James Brown, boogaloo, and Dyke & the Blazers. There ain't much in the way of real memorable material, though Swann's "I Will Not Cry" comes oh-so-close to sounding like a mainstream 1967 soul hit. Other songs take cues from Motown, doo wop, early Philly soul, and organ-dominated instrumental R&B, often with carefully crafted production and energetic vocals that are clearly on a higher level than the actual strength of the tunes. ~ Richie Unterberger
Professional Reviews
Living Blues (p.59) - "With her aching Louisiana alto pipes, Swann is the most distinctive voice represented on volume three..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.90) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The star of the show is undoubtedly Bettye Swann....[She's] equal turns angelic, sultry, forthright and always expressive..."
