100 Proof Aged In Soul -- what a name! This Detroit group is classified as one-hit wonders since they only cracked the pop Top 40 once with the alarming
"Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed." They did, however, have some R&B hits that didn't cross over. The original lineup included
Steve Mancha (born
Clyde Wilson),
Joe Stubbs (
Levi Stubbs' brother), and
Eddie Holiday.
Joe and
Steve handle the leads; their voices are so similar that it takes a good ear and lots of listening to discern who's who. This LP is a cornucopia of soul. The title song finds a cheated lover discovering evidence of his woman's infidelity; written by
General Johnson (
Chairmen of the Board),
Greg Perry and
Angelo Bond, the song was their second release on the Hot Wax label.
Joe Stubbs does a scintillating version of
Luther Ingram's "Ain't That Lovin' You (For More Reason Than One)" that's better than the original;
Stubbs can be heard persuading his date to stop by his place for some fun, and she does.
Steve gets to lead "She's Not Just Another Woman," a lively tune with an odd jumping beat sung in testifying fashion. Ironically, this same recording hit by another Invictus/Hot Wax group called the
Eighth Day -- the same song, track and vocal; it was never released under the name
100 Proof Aged In Soul. "Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)," their debut single, has a nice horn section that's complemented by a stinging rhythm section. None of the songs are fillers or stiffs; the titles are creative and the lyrics will make you chuckle. The album cover is strange: the front depicts a bird's nest holding one egg with a question mark stamped on it; the back cover depicts an empty nest with a bird lying outside flat on its back, dead. A picture of the group would have been appreciated more. ~ Andrew Hamilton
