The Definitive Collection

Released by Robinsongs, the U.K. label that previously reissued five Jimmy Castor albums on a pair of two-disc sets, The Definitive Collection takes a broader look at Castors discography over three discs. It begins with the boogaloo gem "Hey Leroy, Your Mamas Callin You," a Top 40 single in 1966, and finishes with selections from the self-titled Jimmy Castor Bunch album from 1979, by which point Castor was fusing funk and disco. Not for nothing was he nicknamed "the Everything Man" by songwriting and production partner John Pruitt. In addition to writing, arranging, producing, and singing -- coolly alternating between smooth and rough, rooted in doo wop and funk-inclined -- Castor also displayed mastery of saxophone, Latin percussion, and keyboards. That flexibility lent itself to a stylistic fluidity he demonstrated throughout these years. Castor is known most for highly animated funk classics like the B-boy bolt "Its Just Begun," the Sly & the Family Stone-inspired thumper "Troglodyte," and the walloping "Bertha Butt Boogie," the latter two of which were respective number six and 16 pop hits. The novelty act tag with which Castor was consequently slapped is nullified here by a selection that also demonstrates the breadth of his work. Fairly varied are the charting singles themselves, from an easy-grooving instrumental on which Castor takes a pleasantly tart sax solo ("Soul Serenade," 1973) to oddball disco-funk with interlaced synthesizer and Clavinet ("Space Age," only four years later). The album cuts are smartly chosen with strong representation from all but one of the ten LPs Castor released in the 70s. (Let It Out, a 1978 one-off for a T.K. subsidiary, is left out but not really missed.) Along with a large bounty of body-moving funk, theres a good helping of Santana-meets-Sly funk-rock (such as "Psych"), sweet if muscular soul balladry ("Paradise"), and even strings-only pieces (such as "Creation [Prologue]," the setup for "Its Just Begun"). Complementing the originals are lively interpretations of Jimi Hendrixs "Purple Haze" and "Foxy Lady" (done as a medley), Ewan McColls "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (inspired by the Roberta Flack take), the OJays "Love Train," and Elton Johns "Daniel," plus Gino Vannellis "I Just Wanna Stop," with Castors falsetto transporting the song from Montreal to Philadelphia. The anthologys booklet features an in-depth essay from Charles Waring. ~ Andy Kellman