Bustin' Out of the Ghetto

Moody Scott was reared on gospel music but became entranced by R&B in the 60s. Despite his religious mothers objections, he eventually headed in that musical direction, bringing with him the vocal power he had developed during a childhood spent singing in church. Some of the early tracks represented on this collection were recorded in Nashville for the Sound Stage Seven, Luna and Seventy-Seven labels and are characterized by a vintage Nashville R&B flavor -- the title track was a regional hit. But by the turn of the decade Scotts sound was becoming more and more influenced by early funk, and that funk/R&B fusion is what dominates the program on the remainder of Bustin out of the Ghetto. Theres lots of great stuff here, but there is also a bit too much filler and a few too many questionable inclusions -- his lackluster version of Groovin is one example of the latter, and the very poorly produced A Man in Need Is a Fool an example of the former. I Dont Dig No Phoney is a fun song given a nicely funky performance, but the spoken word Part 2 of the same song is a waste of time. Worst of all is the disappointing To Lay Down Beside You, a very fine song destroyed by a painfully off-key vocal. Despite several excellent tracks, this is a sadly inconsistent collection. ~ Rick Anderson