James Carr – The Best Of CD (Kent)

James Carr’s Goldwax career, lasting from the end of 1964 to early 1970, is revered among soul music fans. He only made it into the lower half of the Hot 100 Pop charts but managed to hit the R&B charts nine times out of fourteen releases; each success is here.

His intensely emotive style has continued to win fans long after his career and life ended, while his reputation has climbed into the top echelons of soul singers, mentioned by those who know with similar awe to those of Otis, Aretha and Sam Cooke.

Ace has covered his Goldwax recordings in great detail but we have never released a Greatest Hits compilation for music fans who want one handy package of the very best tracks. Apart from the hit singles there are classic southern soul tracks like ‘Lover’s Competition’, ‘Life Turned Her That Way’, ‘A Losing Game’ and ‘Forgetting You’. Those were also issued as Goldwax 45s whereas Carr’s stunning version of Otis’ ‘These Arms Of Mine’, Wee Willie Walker’s ‘A Lucky Loser’ and his own funky ‘Your Love Made A U-Turn’ were not discovered until 25 to 30 years after their recording. His deep soul takes on the Masqueraders’ ‘Let’s Face Facts’ and Spencer Wiggins’ ‘Love Attack’ also languished until the late 70s when they sneaked out unexpectedly on expensive Japanese LPs.

Famous for his hit ballads like ‘The Dark End Of The Street’ and his even bigger chart success ‘You’ve Got My Mind Messed Up’, he could set dancefloors of the 60s alight with grooves like ‘Freedom Train’ and the Northern Soul favourite ‘That’s What I Want To Know’. All these tracks have been picked for their musical excellence and to show the wide range of soul styles Carr could apply himself to.  – Ace Records