Eccentric Soul : Smart's Palace

The concept behind Numero Group compilations is almost impossible to resist: they find an obscure Midwestern funk or soul label that was operated as a labor of love out of someone's basement or garage in the 1960s and 1970s, one that attracted a reasonable amount of local talent and produced a regional hit or two, and they lovingly package a generous collection of tracks from that label's vaults, complete with detailed liner notes and lots of photos. But there does tend to be a problem: while there are always gems hidden in these vaults, there is also usually a fair amount of dross -- and even the best stuff tends to be obscured somewhat behind really crappy sound. Sometimes it doesn't matter, and the low fidelity only adds to the charm. In the case of this collection of tracks from artists who orbited around the Wichita club called Smart's Palace between 1965 and 1975, the poor sound quality is more frustrating than usual. Sometimes the lousy sonics are no more than what the song deserves, as on the resolutely mediocre "I'm Not Ashamed" by Baby Neal & the Smart Brothers, or the slightly more impressive "I Was Made to Love Her" by Theron & Darrell. But elsewhere, you find yourself struggling to hear what are clearly great performances hidden under a dense layer of sonic grit: Theron & Darrell's fun and uplifting "It's Your Love," L.T. & the Soulful Dynamics' "Everybody Needs Somebody," the Smart Brothers' brilliant faux-live "I've Got a Funny Feeling." Curiosity seekers and period completists will be thrilled to have this material, but more casual listeners will want to proceed with caution. ~ Rick Anderson