The Second Disc

Skip Scarborough (1944-2003) may not have ever gained the name-brand recognition of some of his songwriting peers. But the man born Clarence Alexander Scarborough penned some of the most instantly recognizable classics in the soul music pantheon. Anita Baker’s “Giving You the Best That I Got,” The Friends of Distinction’s “Love or Let Me Be Lonely” and Earth Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love” are just three of Scarborough’s most memorable compositions. The latter went on to be recorded by Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae and Patti LaBelle, among others. Until now, though, Scarborough has never been the subject of a career anthology. Expansion Records on April 26 will release The Skip Scarborough Songbook, bringing together 18 soul classics including rare gems and familiar favorites.

The songwriter/producer/arranger had a diverse CV boasting two No. 1 R&B hits: L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad” and Con Funk Shun’s “Ffun.” He was equally at home with vocalists as well as groups; in the latter category he produced Earth Wind and Fire, Blue Magic, the Emotions and the Los Angeles quintet Creative Source, managed by The 5th Dimension’s Ron Townson. Scarborough notably wrote, produced and played on LPs by the late jazz/soul diva Phyllis Hyman, and another diva to benefit from his production expertise was Patti LaBelle. Scarborough supplied LaBelle with “It’s Alright with Me” from 1979′s Music is My Way of Life, but his biggest hit was Anita Baker’s “Giving You the Best That I Got,” from the 1988 three-million selling LP of the same name. The single topped the R&B charts and went Top 3 pop, and also won Scarborough a Grammy Award. Despite success with funk, disco and soul, Scarborough never stayed too far away from those artists with jazz leanings; he collaborated with Nancy Wilson through the 1990s on LPs such as Nancy Now!, Lady with a Song, and If I Had My Way.

Artists represented on Expansion’s new set include Earth Wind & Fire, the group’s Philip Bailey, Dionne Warwick, Syreeta, Freda Payne, Jerry Butler and Thelma Houston, Patti LaBelle and Phyllis Hyman.

Hit the jump for the complete track listing with discographical information and a pre-order link! Read the rest of this entry »

Our friends at Funky Town Grooves have recently announced a pair of new reissues restoring to catalogue three LPs by two deeply soulful ladies: Thelma Houston and Eloise Laws.

Earlier this year saw Soulmusic.com’s reissue of Houston’s 1969 baroque soul classic, Sunshower, and now Houston’s fans can rejoice with the reissue of two RCA LPs dating from 1980 and 1981: Breakwater Cat and Never Gonna Be Another One. While neither made much of an impression on the album charts, both boast Houston’s rich voice in its prime tackling originals and covers alike. Of the latter, Breakwater‘s take on “Suspicious Minds” garned some radio airplay and dented the dance charts, as did Never‘s “96 Tears.” Another dance hit was “If You Feel It,” and the same LP saw Houston wrapping her pipes around Bacharach and David’s defiant “Don’t Make Me Over.” The versatile Houston, with a career spanning many labels, continues to record today, and this two-fer fills a nice gap in her recording history on CD. Mark Wilder handles the mastering chores.

Eloise Laws began her career with Holland-Dozier-Holland at their post-Motown Music Merchant label. Her first LP, Ain’t It Good Feeling Good, was released on H-D-H’s Invictus in 1977, but within months, the label had folded, and Laws found herself at ABC Records (one of Houston’s former homes, ironically).There she recorded the LP Eloise, now being reissued by Funky Town Grooves. Eloise was produced by Jerry Goldstein and Linda Creed, with arrangements by the very-much-in-demand Gene Page.  Creed, of course, brought her songwriting abilities to the table, too, and Eloise included a rendition of “His House and Me,” originally penned by Creed and frequent colaborator Thom Bell for Dionne Warwick. Laws’ recording catalogue is not a deep one, but she continues, like Houston, to make music today; in recent years, she even conquered Broadway, performing in the Tony-nominated musical revue It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.

Breakwater Cat / Never Gonna Be Another One can be pre-ordered here, and Eloise (expanded with both sides of a rare 12-inch single) can be pre-ordered here. Both releases are due this month from FTG’s site. Hit the jump for full track listings and more information.

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Soul music enthusiasts have had a lot to cheer about this year, with boutique labels (Reel Music, Cherry Red’s Big Break and Super-Bird) and majors (Hip-O Select) alike delivering the goods with deluxe reissues of many classic albums. Soulmusic.com is offering two new releases this week, one on its own label and one coming from Expansion Records.

Thelma Houston’s 1969 LP Sunshower (Dunhill 50054) was previously available on CD as an expensive Japanese import, but Soulmusic.com brings it to the masses with an expanded edition. This reissue includes the entire album plus 6 bonus tracks, collecting her complete Dunhill catalog on one disc. Sunshower was produced, arranged and written by Jimmy Webb, and stands proudly alongside his similar efforts for The Fifth Dimension (The Magic Garden) and Richard Harris (A Tramp Shining). Sunshower boasted 11 Webb songs plus a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and it remains a unique blend of styles. Houston brings her own soul fervor (which reached full expression via her 1977 Motown smash, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”) to Webb’s baroque pop experiments which took in rock, gospel, MOR and country influences along the way. One of the great “lost” albums, Sunshower’s reissue is reason to rejoice. One standout track is “Cheap Lovin’,” which Webb would produce with The Supremes for their Produced & Arranged by Jimmy Webb LP; another is “Mixed-Up Girl,” also recorded by Dusty Springfield. The album’s “Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon” was actually released by Dunhill on a special single to celebrate the Apollo 11 mission. For sheer drama, “Someone is Standing Outside” and “This is Your Life” can’t be beat. Three double-sided singles (including one that has never seen American release) comprise the bonuses, including Houston’s soulful take on Laura Nyro’s “Save the Country.” The booklet promises a new essay by Charles Waring and the release is endorsed by Houston herself, who told Soulmusic.com, “I still think that Sunshower is the best album I’ve ever done.”

Complementing Sunshower is Expansion’s two-fer release of Lou Rawls’ 1982 and 1984 efforts for Epic, which followed his departure from Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. With this disc, Now is the Time (Epic 37488) and Close Company (Epic 39403) are both restored to Rawls’ catalog after a long absence. Few artists had a career the length and breadth of the late Rawls. With his versatile, velvety pipes, he successfully traversed many styles ranging from jazz and vocal pop to smooth soul.  These albums, while largely overlooked, feature some of Philly’s top talent, alumni of the Gamble and Huff hit factory. The legendary Thom Bell produced and arranged four of the tracks on Now is the Time, while the team of Mtume and Lucas handled the balance of the album.Dexter Wansel, Norman Harris and Jack Faith all contributed to Close Company.  See the track listings for both releases after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »