V.A. Here Come The Tears

Soul4Real continues to provide invaluable service to lovers of quality soul music from the 1960s and 1970s, with another carefully curated long-playing selection of incredible music from the enormous vaults of the Ertegun brothers and Jerry Wexler’s Atlantic group of labels.

Atlantic was and is still based in New York, but its repertoire came from all over the USA. In ´Here Come The Tears´ you will hear music from Detroit, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Houston, Memphis and the Big Apple itself. Most of the featured artists will need no introduction – and that’s how it should be, for they are all legends of black American music, regardless of how well they fared in the US charts. Some tracks are big-ticket items, others can be found on 45 at pocket-friendly prices. Four have never been issued on vinyl until now, including the Drifters’ long-thought-lost version of the O’Jays’ “I Dig Your Act” and Judy Clay’s thrilling take on “The Love Of My Man” – written by Ed Townsend, who also produced the splendid Dee Dee Warwick track that makes its vinyl debut here.

One thing that all these tracks have in common, regardless of their vinyl value, is that they are all priceless examples of soul music, from an era where every US state had its own sound, and every artist their own unique style. There is no reason to list highlights – every track is a highlight! There is also nothing generic or homogenised about anything you’ll hear here – it’s all coming to you straight from the heart and soul. Whether you are hearing most of these tracks for the first time or getting reacquainted with ‘old friends’, there’s more to enjoy on this one album than there is in anything currently being issued in the name of 21st century soul. For Real…

Lend us your ears – Here Come The Tears! Tony Rounce