Keith And Darrell - Kickin' It Around

I came across this 45 in a pile of records that had already been pillaged by a few serious local collectors and record dealers. Don't know why the hunters passed it up, but I'm glad. Perhaps it's really only a 25 cent 45. My interests in somewhat 'obtuse' sounding stuff and indie soul has for me, paid off yet again. Just goes to show there are still treasures even in the most covered territories.  You just have to be willing to hear something dope and new in something that's far from the norm. For me, that's always been an area that has been my strong point. Often you may have to face a little ridicule, but I've learned over the years that same ridicule is a sign of progress and genuinely shows you're headed in the right direction. Anyways, I was late in the morning to this spot and even though it had been well scoured, I still found a few treats. In fact, I think this is the same spot I picked up the 'Blue-eyed' soul record by the group Stratus. Not the one from Denver. The Stratus record had the notorious orange spray paint from Rasputin's, so I suppose it had been quadruple overlooked.
Anyways, back to Kieth And Darrell. These guys were in fact nephews of Smokey Robinson. They had somewhere around three or four releases including an attempt at boogie disco in 1983 with a tune called 'Work That Body' on a Motown twelve inch. Another 45 with the peculiar title of 'You're My Gardener' saw a similar release on a promo only 45. I wonder what that one sounds like. This tune for me fits best in a 'free soul' genre as it's kinda lazy, kinda cool, and a little bit hippie. It has that kinda yacht rock sunshine soul feel I'm always looking for.

It's easy to see why this flew under the radar, and one could suspect that Keith And Darrell were trying to gently elbow their way into the recording biz considering their bloodline. The fate of Keith Larnell Burston and Darrell Littlejohn was of limited push and belief in them by the record label and as a result they never fully broke out.


As far as I was concerned, from a digging perspective, this had ALL the right elements...produced by Smokey Robinson, from 1980, and was a promo only. It could be that this record never saw a full release and only came out as a promo. Some nice harmonies, an affectionate little premise, and some light and snappy drums. I was glad to pick it up, hope you enjoy it too.

Keith And Darrell - Kickin' It Around

The Charmels - As Long As I've Got You

Happy Valentines Day from us here at Soundboutique to you.
No tune better exemplifies a sweet heart Valentine's gift in musical form to me. This song rocks it on so many levels. It appeases me on at least three different levels I can think of. For one, it brings me back to another era of hip hop that was truly innovative, fresh, and still creative. Wu tang sampled this song and many others like it that didn't fit the usual characteristics of sample material of the times. Their samples weren't typically funky, they ignored lead vocals that often overlapped into the beat, and mainly used samples from northern, southern and sweet soul genres. At the time of their debut LP that sampled this song no one was doing what they were. On the second hand, this is from the legendary Stax and Volt label and has a signature stamp of soul ingredients that many a soul collector have loved and treasured like no other label. Not to mention it's one of the rarer releases on the volt label. It's a beautifully recorded song, orchestrated and composed like a sunbeam from a cloud straight out of soul heaven. Everything out of Stax and Volt had incredible promise, endless talent and amazing musicianship. Thirdly, this song typifies the 'oldies' sound to me, works well bumpin out of the bombs cruising up and down the boulevard, and stands on it's own as a perfected jewel of songwriting. 'As Long As I've Got You' is quite possibly the best soul song I've ever heard. It's been re-issued, bootlegged, sampled, covered, comped, and remastered countless times. To only further prove my three before mentioned points...it's mutually loved by the 'Oldies' fanatics, coveted by crate diggin' hip hop heads, and highly regarded by deep soul enthusiasts. Loved on so many levels and desired by many a record hunter. I have it, but I'm always wishing I will find it again in a cleaner condition. It cascades through several almost perfect changes almost like a psychedelic dream. It's hard to figure where it's going on first listen, and by the time you figure it out, it's all over. I'd listen to this jam over and over. Man, I wish I could listen to the master reels on this one...It'd be great to extend it and dub it out. At least that hasn't been done yet.

Eula Jean Rivers, Mary Hunt, Mildred Pratchett, and Barbara McCoy

So, The Charmels got together roughly in 1966 and quickly disbanded a few years later. After a few 45 releases amounting to 4-6 songs and a few member changes they broke up. None of these songs ever yielded them any success and it was many years later when that story changed. Hard to say if any surviving members made any royalty cash from the Wu's C.R.E.A.M. single, but the respect and appreciation is undeniable. After Wu-tangs treatment, the El Michels Affair took a turn and burned out a nice instrumental version. I've also heard there's another version by a soul girl group that covered it a few years later, somewhere around 1971, but I have yet to hear it.


Some of the members were in the Dixiebelles and they were with the Sound Stage Seven label in the late 50's and early 60's. They then formed The Tonettes and recorded a few singles for the Volt label. Thank goodness for the 'Complete Stax/Volt Singles' for being so 'complete' and if you're interested, you can easily hear the Tonettes and Charmels offerings in the highest quality CD format in those box sets. Like I mentioned above, they formed in 1966, but had several change in members from then until 68. I'm not entirely sure who is picture tod the right, in this photo, but I'm pretty sure the names fit with the above picture. If you have more history on this fine group, knew them, or were in this group.. please get a hold of us.... we want to talk to you. We hope to feature more by the Charmels in the future, and also track down this notorious 'other' version of this song.

The Charmels - As Long As I've Got You

Assagai - I'll Wait For You

From the same Lp with the funky track 'Telephone Girl' comes this mellow yet charming little tune. Assagai were from South Africa and were signed to the Vertigo label. They had only two releases and their story is pretty short. They rode a wave of popularity in the early 70's when afro rock had been born. The genius of these afro rock bands is heard throughout their elusive Lp's. Bands like Osibisa and Manu Dibango made a path for numerous artists. Thankfully the flood gate was opened and artists like Assagai recorded and prospered if only for a short stint. "I'll Wait For You" is a simple tune, and a love song, yet is an affectionate and sweet soul tune. Enjoy!

Assagai - I'll Wait For You