Hey, Love

As strong as Hey Love is -- it's one of Rotary Connection's best records -- three of its songs are so rich with full-bloom beauty that you can't help but refer to the group's lack of an adequate single-disc best-of as an extremely unfortunate thing. (Minnie Riperton's Her Chess Years, which is dominated by Rotary Connection material, doesn't qualify for its bonkers lack of a couple key songs.) Too many people point to the group's self-titled debut as its only essential release, which means that albums like this remain overlooked. And that means that too many people go on without hearing "If I Sing My Song," "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun," and "Hey Love." On "If I Sing My Song," Richard Rudolph and Charles Stepney play Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and the result belongs in the ranks of that songwriting team for its degree of hummability and the impeccably designed arrangements. "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun" is the apex, the brightest moment in the group's discography; it's an ineffable package of grace, grit, and life-affirming spirit (if your knees don't quake). Virtually anything would seem like a comedown after it, but the title track of the album sounds at points like a precursor to fellow Chicagoan Terry Callier's "Gotta Get Closer to You" and keeps the quality of the orchestra-spiked soul flowing. The rest of the album ranges from fair to good, with a slight edge to the good. That's almost irrelevant, however, given the essential nature of the three aforementioned diamonds. ~ Andy Kellman