Thursday, February 15, 2007

Speaking Of The Brothers Of Soul ...

Ruby Andrews - Gotta Break Away

Yesterday's postscript to the Valentine's Day post provided an excellent segue into today's post. The Brothers of Soul were far more prolific as writers than as performers, penning over 40 tunes for Detroit and Chicago productions on various artists. Ruby Andrews benefited most from their songs, which she recorded prolifically for Ric Williams' Zodiac label, which was affiliated with Joshie Jo Armstead and her Chicago-based Giant Productions. Andrews, who had made a big splash with the soul classic "Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)," stayed active in the charts throughout the late '60s and early '70s, mainly on the strength of the material the Brothers of Soul kept providing. "Gotta Break Away" was the flip to "You Ole Boo Boo You." There's something off-center about this tune, but I like the loping Chicago soul groove and interplay between Andrews' strong voice and background singers.

No comments: