Sweet Taste of Sin: Sensual Breakbeat Soul

by N/A

Overview

Although the packaging markets this to collectors, producers, and DJs looking for samples to plunder, to the layperson it might be better described as a compilation of obscure sweet soul from the mid-'70s to the early '80s. (Phillip Mitchell's "I'll See You in Hell First" bears a 1990 date, but sounds as if it was recorded considerably earlier.) There are a few hitmakers here, like Betty Everett, Shirley Brown, Isaac Hayes, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, the Detroit Emeralds, and Millie Jackson, but none are represented by hits, and most of the other names will challenge the memory banks even if you were avidly listening to black radio at the time. It's just average soul of the period, though, distinguished from many other compilations by its focus on a later era than most, and by an unabashed willingness to treat soul productions with sweet strings and slick arrangements as worthy of reinvestigation. Some tracks are better than others, like Coffey's "Sweet Taste of Sin," with his trademark funky guitar licks; Mitchell's "I'll See You in Hell First," which has a vibe akin to 1970s Curtis Mayfield; and Jackson's "It Hurts So Good," which plays it straighter than the risque material for which she's known. This washes down easier than many sweet soul records if only because it's not overly familiar, but it can't be denied that it also reflects an era in which the soul genre itself became more saccharine and less interesting. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2001
Label:	Bgp
UPC:	0029667514118

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnny "Guitar" Watson   Primary Artist,Guitar
Dennis Coffey   Primary Artist,Guitar
The Detroit Emeralds   Primary Artist
Phillip Mitchell   Primary Artist
Natural Essence   Primary Artist
Eddie McLoyd   Primary Artist,Vocals
Millie Jackson   Primary Artist
The Fantastic Four   Primary Artist
Betty Everett   Primary Artist,Vocals
Isaac Hayes   Primary Artist
Eramus Hall   Primary Artist
Fatback   Primary Artist
Shirley Brown   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Johnny "Guitar" Watson   Composer,Producer
Dennis Coffey   Composer
The Detroit Emeralds   Performer
Phillip Mitchell   Composer,Performer
Nat Adderley   Producer
David Porter   Composer
Natural Essence   Performer
Raymond Jackson   Composer
Yvonne Fletcher   Composer
Lincoln Ross   Composer,Musician
Ira Williams   Composer
Abrim Tilmon   Composer
Johnny Flippin   Composer
Marvin Williams   Composer
Al Kent   Producer
Shirley Brown   Composer,Performer
The Fantastic Four   Performer
Kenny Williams   Composer
Billy Page   Composer
Isaac Hayes   Producer
Carl Hampton   Composer
Donald Byrd   Producer
Fatback   Performer
Homer Banks   Composer
Dean Rudland   Liner Notes,Archive Research
Lester Snell   Composer
Wade Marcus   Producer
Millie Jackson   Producer
J.R. Bailey   Composer
Brad Shapiro   Producer
Duncan Cowell   Mastering
Cannonball Adderley   Producer
David Axelrod   Mixing
Mike Theodore   Composer
Andrew Richardson   Musician
Gene Page   Composer
Bernard Mendelson   Producer
Melvin Kent   Composer
Grady Smith   Composer
Rudy Robinson   Producer
Alberto Hamilton   Composer
Jerry Wilder   Composer,Musician
Joel Martin   Producer
Billy Clements   Composer
Michael L. Walker   Composer
James L. Wilkerson   Composer
Eddie Williams   Composer