Various Artists – Soul For Dancers 2 – (Fantastic Voyage) review
The weather is warming up and Fantastic Voyage has concocted a perfect playlist for your next get-together
The UK reissue label Fantastic Voyage continues to compile phenomenal collections that feature both familiar and obscure tunes. Soul For Dancers 2 is a second volume of upbeat R&B numbers from the Fifties & Sixties, , sure to keep that party going into the wee hours.
Leading with Bobby “Blue” Bland’s most famous track, “Turn on Your Lovelight,” disc one’s other highlights include the blistering “Watch Your Step” by Bobby Parker – copped by the Allman Brothers for “One Way Out” and the Beatles’ for “I Feel Fine”; the brooding “You Better Move On” from Arthur Alexander, and the effervescent “Lonely Teardrops” by Jackie Wilson.
Known artists are here with obscure tracks like Lee Dorsey’s “Behind the 8-ball,” James Brown’s “Good Good Lovin’,” and a very young-sounding Marvin Gaye in “Never Let You Go.” Solomon Burke turns in a slow-burner on “Down in the Valley.”
Surprises include the searing guitar-driven “Don’t Give No More Than You Can Take” from the doo wop group the Five Royales, and the inspirational “Rock Love” by Lula Reed.
Disc two begins on a high mark with Ike & Tina Turner’s “Worried and Hurtin’ Inside,”
and stays solid throughout. “Fire” by Gino Parks has a killer beat and is sure to get you dancing, even if you’re in a lousy mood; while “Trick Bag” by Earl King has to be one of the best songs about infidelity. “I Told You Not To Tell Them” by Marie Knight scorns her boyfriend for being loose-lipped. Etta James turns in the slinky “Number One,” while “Party Across the Hall” by Yvonne Baker and the Sensations sounds like something you want to be a part of.
The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” is sandwiched in the middle of the disc, but just about everything else here you’ve probably never heard. But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still great material here. J. J. Barnes’ piano-led “Won’t You Let Me Know,” and the kiss-off “She’ll Be Gone” by Betty O’Brien are just two examples.
Two solid discs of classic R&B party music – Soul For Dancers 2 delivers the goods. —Tony Peters