Lost in the sea of
Johnny Moores
out there (including the one who was a singer for
the Drifters
and sang lead on
"Under the Boardwalk"
) was the
Chicago soul
singer and songwriter
Johnny Moore
, who never managed to be more than a regional star in the '60s and '70s, even though his records were powerful examples of
Northern soul
at its best. This wonderful set from
Grapevine Records
collects 24 singles (plus one previously unreleased track,
"Baby If You Let Me"
) that
Moore
released on various Chicago labels between 1966 and 1972, and it goes a long way toward rescuing this talented artist from total obscurity. Sounding at times like an energetic
Marvin Gaye
,
had a hand in writing everything here, and songs like the catchy
"Sold on You,"
the very
Gaye
-like
"Call It What You Wanna,"
the breezy and resilient
"Lonely Heart in the City,"
and the driving
"I Need Your Help Baby"
all would have been big hits in a fair and equitable world. Thanks go to
Grapevine
for putting this together. A treasure. ~ Steve Leggett