New Breed Blues With Black Popcorn – Various Artists CD (Kent)

Make way for a brand new selection of collectables, curios and rug-cutters for R&B fans who feel the beat and need new sounds to scratch their itch.

Tracks such as Marva Josie’s ‘You Lied’, Sinner Strong’s ‘Don’t Knock It’ and the Idols’ ‘Just A Little Bit More’ seem to have been around for an eternity without being properly comped, whereas ‘Why Oh Why’ by Austin Taylor, ‘Well I Done Got Over It’ from Bobby Mitchell and Dolores Johnson’s ‘What Kind Of Man Are You’ are currently raising eyebrows and overdrafts. J.J. Jackson’s ‘Oo-Ma-Liddy’, Little Johnny Taylor’s ‘Somewhere Down The Line’ and Etta James’ ‘Nobody Loves You Like Me’ are perfect for this CD.

Kent’s forte is the previously unissued humdinger and here we have a handful of the best to tempt even the most OVO (original vinyl only) of collectors to shell out for this piquant package. Two gems from earlier Ace CDs can be found in Art Wheeler’s Downey side ‘Baby We’re Through’ and Carl Edmondson & the Charmaines’ Fraternity number ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’, while the more recently issued 45 of ‘I Ain’t Talkin’’ comes from last year’s CD of Kent Harris’ R&B productions.

Inevitably it’s the debutantes that will steal the show and attract the more traditional R&B fan. There is a pounding blues by Freddie North from Bob Holmes’ tapes, when he was working with Freddie along with Slim Harpo in Nashville in the late 60s. From Los Angeles there is Adolph Jacobs’ unreleased Class recording ‘Cannibal Stew’ that sounds like the Coasters and might even have them singing behind him (he was their guitarist at the time). Then we have a taster for the forthcoming Ace CD of Richard Stamz’s Chicago blues productions, with a fine mover from Tony Gideon called ‘So Strange’.

Finally, there is a track that put me into a state of frenzy, ‘When You See Me Hurt’ by Carl Lester & the Showstoppers – 2 minutes 30 of unadulterated hip-shaking heartbreak. I must have one now!

By Ady Croasdell – Ace Records