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Liberator 4.3
The Northern Soul of New Orleans
The Northern Soul of New Orleans

Though nowhere nearly as loaded, abused, and consequently suspect a term as “punk” or “indie rock,” “Northern Soul” has for better or worse become a rather catchall tag, used to describe the various danceable strands of up-tempo soul and R&B emanating from black America during the 60s and 70s. Unfortunately, Northern Soul collections are all too often mixed-bag affairs: some tracks, while scarcely worth listening to, are juxtaposed with more worthwhile, deservedly unearthed material simply due to their rarity as cultural artifacts, monetary worth, or some arcane association the unassuming enthusiast could easily do without. Thankfully though, Grapevine’s first installment of The Northern Soul of New Orleans series is top-shelf music through and through. Generally, the style of soul showcased on "The Northern Soul of New Orleans Volume 1" falls much closer to the gritty, red-hot R&B of Lee Dorsey than the golden-stringed/“white friendly” pop hits of The Supremes. One such track, co-produced by fellow hitmaker/Meters man Marshall Sehorn, is Ray Algere’s “In My Corner,” a detailed, incredibly moving and personal account of love’s rare ability to transcend the societal alienation that often goes hand in hand with true poverty. Gerri Hall’s “Who Can I Run To” is another nice slice of underground soul with assured lo-fi vocals at once poised and intimate. While the exact same song may have reached a wider audience had it been recorded in a more expensive studio, it’s hard to imagine the track retaining the same spiritually direct character after receiving a more high budget treatment. And as a harmless challenge, I dare anyone with a with an honest predilection for soul or R&B to listen only once to track number sixteen, The Jades’ “Lucky Fellow” -- my personal favorite and without a doubt one of "The Northern Soul of New Orleans" highlight cuts. With its funky bass line, slightly overdriven drums, soaring back-up vocals and irresistible organ solo, “Lucky Fellow” alone is worth the price of admission. The music is simply that good, and (hopefully) hearing is believing.

words: Dave Andrae