The Kent Ballads CD series covers the whole soul era and most genres of ballads. This compilation has a particularly impressive twenty-year span between the mournful, New Orleans-recorded Turquinettes track from 1962 and Nightchill's early 80s, quiet storm, groove; complete with electronic instrumentation.
Both of those tracks were unissued until now and there are ten recordings that failed to make it to vinyl. Several of those are of such quality they could easily have been R&B hits. Carlson Oliver's 'Stay Away' is a very strong recording from a guy who had just two 45s released on Douglas and sang with the Ike Turner Review. Though a solo performance, it has a resemblance to the Knight Brothers' 'Temptation's 'Bout To Get Me'; good news all around. 'Apartment # 9' by Little Johnny Hamilton is as intense and raw a blues ballad, a la 'I Found A Love', as will ever be heard. Two other tracks in that area are the unissued Julius Wright's 'Lonely Girl' and the Excello killer 45 by Joe Mayfield - 'How's Things With You'. J J Jackson & The Jackaels were a West Coast outfit led by June Jackson and the unissued Brent recording is a melodic, well-produced big city vocal group number that would surely have sold well on release. Other previously unheard highlights come from Nashville's criminally under-recorded Peggy Gaines, the Exotics with 'Nobody But You' - a super-soulful Excello recording - and Jerry Washington, whose 'I Don't Need Nobody' is as good as any of his issued Excello masterpieces.
Some of the issued singles aren't that easy to pick up. Eddie Parker's 'Crying Clown' in particular: $10,000 + for an original in good nick. You could knock a zero off that for Eddie Whitehead's 'Give This Fool Another Try' or just enjoy it from master tape on this CD. Ray Pollard's lead vocal features on the sad, tuneful 'After He Breaks Your Heart' and shows why he is so very highly rated. Lee Williams & The Cymbals, Dori Grayson, Mary Love and John Edwards have some of their best down-tempo offerings included to showcase their talents. Lorraine Chandler gives us the title track, which, having recently appeared on a Detroit dance-based CD, may have passed some soul fans by. The stunning cover photo is of Alice Clark whose GWP production 'Heaven's Will' is a real tour-de-force.
