A seven-strong miscegenation band (augmented by a six-piece horn section) from Richmond, VA, featuring the production and writing skills of
August Moon
and lead vocalist
Tyrone Thomas
.
Moon
previously recorded obscure R&B tunes (
"Wasted Years"
on
O'Gee Records
) with no success. He co-produced this album with
Thomas
at
the Sound Pit
in Atlanta, GA, but he isn't a member of
the Whole Darn Family
. The tunes range from driving soul sounds as in
"You Know That You Lied"
to more complex numbers like
"Fly Away Love Bird,"
which exhibits
Joel Smither
's lovely flute. The seven-minute instrumental
"Seven Minutes of Funk"
is funk-fused with jazz elements, accented by
Steve Carey
's synthesizer,
Woody Hughes
' emphatic bass playing,
Tommy Bryant
and
Kenny Mimms
' sweet guitar licks, and
' steady drumming. A funky
"Ain't Nothing to Do,"
unleashes a rock guitar punctuated by
O. T. Young
's conga beats and keyboardist
Clinton Smith
's solid playing. The teary
"I'm Hurt"
has a strong
Al Green
Otis Redding
vibe.
Amherst Records
owns the rights to this LP and will hopefully reissue it on CD. ~ Andrew Hamilton