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

Mellaa - Free

Mellaa has this killer 45, which both sides are exquisite in my eyes, and one other boogie jam on the rare and sought after Budweiser label. Here we have two sides of brilliant underground soul on one of my favorite labels, Larc. Part of doing this blog and uncovering these obscure artists is sometimes there's not much to share. Except the actual music itself. Just happens to be I know nothing about Mellaa. Just that this seems to fit yet another 'catagory' I learned from (again) the Japanese record cats. 'Free Soul' much like 'Modern Soul' seems to be a really loose term and can be from a range of decades. A lot of times it just fits for everything that doesn't fall into another obvious category. But, there is something uniquely 'free' about this 'Free Soul' tune other than it's obvious title. It's kinda jazzy, kinda soul, and rather strange. But, completely dope nonetheless. This tune travels around a bit jumping from thing to thing all in a carefree way. Part of enjoying it, is not knowing where exactly it will end up. All of these elements are traits of what 'Free Soul' means to me. Seems like this is a logical answer and segue from the last Odyssey post. I hope you enjoy.



Mellaa - Free

Danny Williams - Rat Race

I don't think I've heard a more delectable 45. Whispering backing vocals, sneaky horns, smooth wah-wah and general unpredictability make this a prime example of the unique qualities of Bay Area funk and soul. Quite possibly one of the best local 45 I've ever laid ears on, popping and bumping along representing both sloppy and smooth. It's free-ness and tight syncopation make for a magical combination. Listening to it, it's hard to know what to expect, but by the time the whole song comes together, it's over. I know, I know...I've done a lot of genre-fying lately, and yet again, I'm gonna have to hit you with it again. It's a tune that's often labeled 'cross-over' perhaps because 'northern' and 'modern' soul dj's played it out when branching their sets out. It does definitely 'cross-over' into something new, or perhaps some other sound sphere. But, I think it's more aptly defined as 'free soul' or 'indie soul' because it just sounds more...well..free. It's tone and structure steers well out of the way of commercial sound and is independent in nature. Like many others and true to funk 45 form, the flip is an upbeat northern number "All Those Lies". Also, a quality tune and probably more appropriately coined 'cross-over', but not nearly as tasty as "Rat Race".

There's two major traits I'm noticing with Bay Area sound in this particular era, both with this and the previous 'Soft Touch' post.
1. There's incredible tightness, yet the overall vibe is sloppy and free sounding. Almost effortless and relaxed yet obviously complicated. (This seems to be quite prevalent in many Bay Area funk and soul artists.)
2. The mood and approach is all about capturing the purest of 'Superfly' feeling, like the slickest, smoothest pimp music you've ever heard, yet the messages are positive and socially conscious.

It's all contributing to making me extremely proud of this area and its rich musical history. On a side note - Ive been enjoying another local purveyor, collector and DJ - Kid Inquisitive and his fantastic site, check it out here
www.soulpersuasion.blogspot.com
It's well worth your time. Lots and lots of other interesting Bay Area stuff.
I quested for this "Rat Race"45 for a good long time. When I asked, I either got the 'never heard of it', or had to silently watch it disappear for thousands of dollars on ebay. Now, like a good collector and in true blue 'soundboutique' fashion, I'm sharing it with you. Hopefully you won't have to pay as much as I did. I assure you, it IS worth it. But, please don't rub it in if you found it in mint condition for a dollar.


Danny Williams - Rat Race

Luther Davis Group - To Be Free

This has been comped by Funk Spectrum 3 and the Stones Throw re-issue label Soul Cal. But this piece of genius soul funk hails from Bakersfield of all places. A sweeping dancer but as indie as can be. See my last post. I think originally I started hearing about a new pocket of tunes that were making the rounds among the 'heads' and were getting the name 'free-soul' from mostly Japanese cats. The likes of Jon Lucien, Linda Lewis, Larry Saunders and JOB Orchestra. But, this was some time ago, and Free-Soul has come and gone as a genre. Nothing more than a name to help fellow enthusiasts via magazine and web. But, it turned me on to numerous gems. I have the Japanese to thank for turning me onto Linda Lewis, but that's another story (and a future post) and another chapter. So, this little tune, the flip to "You Can Be A Star" (Also Incredible- will post it soon as well) would also pass as Free-soul. Just kinda different, and well..free. Possibly meaning as well that it doesn't cater (or seem to) to any kind of pop standards. Smooth as hell yet still kinda home spun and hippy. Not really disco, but has the disco vibe. Not Funk, but very funky. In fact quite folky really. Just great rhythms, amazing harmonies and sweet brass melodies. Nothing like a space sweep to top it off. Just a genius soul tune, and indeed also a qualifier as indie-soul.

Luther Davis Group - To Be Free