Like volume one of the series, this documents the nearly forgotten Nashville R&B scene of the 1950s and 1960s, on 30 obscurities issued on small local labels. It's similar in content to its predecessor: smoky, often raw sides, sometimes sparsely (even crudely) produced, the approaches varying from bluesy stuff and raunchy rock to doo wop and '60s soul. There's even a 1959 gospel side by the Fairfield Four, who wouldn't reach the peak of their fame until almost four decades later. It's like an encyclopedia of black popular ...
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Like volume one of the series, this documents the nearly forgotten Nashville R&B scene of the 1950s and 1960s, on 30 obscurities issued on small local labels. It's similar in content to its predecessor: smoky, often raw sides, sometimes sparsely (even crudely) produced, the approaches varying from bluesy stuff and raunchy rock to doo wop and '60s soul. There's even a 1959 gospel side by the Fairfield Four, who wouldn't reach the peak of their fame until almost four decades later. It's like an encyclopedia of black popular music styles from the time, the caveat being that while they're representative examples, they're not outstanding. The standouts are the most modern-sounding cuts at the end: Earl Gaines and Lucille Johns' duet on "You Are My Sunshine," and the uptown soul of Gene Allison's "Stay a Little Longer," and the previously unissued, Stax-like "It's Almost Sundown" by Roscoe Shelton. Allison's version of "You Can Make It If You Try" (covered by the Rolling Stones) on this disc, by the way, is not the original, but a 1968 remake. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
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