Terry Callier
's third and final album for the
Cadet
label is the most soulful and supple of the bunch --
Marvin Gaye
's classic
Motown
LPs from the same early 1970s period serve as a good reference point, both in their richly-detailed arrangements as well as their thoughtful political and social messages. Despite its contemporary feel, however, much of the material on
I Just Can't Help Myself
dates back several years -- both the powerful
"Alley-Wind Song"
and the
John Coltrane
tribute
"Can't Catch the Trane"
were initially recorded during the 1969 sessions which later comprised the
First Light
collection, while the graceful reading of
Duke Ellington
's
"Satin Doll"
was and would remain a longstanding highlight of
Callier
's live set. Under the circumstances, then, the cohesive beauty and power of
is all the more remarkable -- possessed of a subtlety and shading absent from his other
dates, the disc simmers with quiet intensity, its underlying confidence and serenity occasionally giving way to moments of soul-searching angst. Certainly
's later records have much to recommend them, but the conclusion of his
stint was nevertheless the end of an era -- he never reached quite the same peaks again. ~ Jason Ankeny