Freddie North – What Are You Doing To Me – The Complete A-Bet Recordings Plus CD (Kent)

To complement the collection of respected songwriter/arranger/producer Bob Holmes work this month, Kent also brings to catalogue a long-overdue anthology by Holmes’ fellow Nashville resident Freddie North.

For more than a decade North combined his day job as Head of Promotion for the Nashboro group of labels with a career as a singer on the company’s A-Bet and Mankind imprints. Most of his earlier Mankind releases, including the hit single She’s All I Got, have long been resident in the Ace catalogue. What Are You Doing To Me backtracks to bring all of his 1960s recordings for A-Bet, including unissued material, to CD for the first time.

By way of a bonus, the collection also adds a helping of North’s later Mankind sides most of which are also making their CD debut, including three unissued goodies. As you would expect, the booklet is filled with rare photos, label shots and an extensive note. North’s warm, Jerry Butler-like baritone has long been a favourite among fans of vintage soul. They will welcome the chance to add this long-unavailable repertoire to their collections, as will any lover of quality 1960s and 1970s southern soul. – Ace Records