(February 2024) Episode 547 is THE TEMPTATIONS. I had known them as a legendary Motown act through classic mid-60s hits like “My Girl,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” who endured to the present day on the nostalgia circuit. What I did not know, and was not prepared by have MY MIND BLOWN by, were their “psychedelic soul” albums from 1968-1972 (notably Cloud Nine, Puzzle People and Psychedelic Shack). I knew “I Can’t Get Next To You” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” but hadn’t connected that this was the same outfit that made “My Girl.” This period is when producer Norman Whitfield took over and guided them to a rougher and funkier sound, as well as more socially conscious themes. Alongside Sly Stone and Funkadelic, this sound made the Temptations a big influence on funk and 70s soul. Love this stuff. I am a sucker for falsetto, so I highlight Eddie Kendricks, one of the best and one of my favorites (along with Curtis Mayfield, Phillip Bailey and Prince). Amidst lineup changes, they kept pumping out albums through the decades following R&B trends, but never recapturing the magic of their peak. The Temptations are around today, still led by founder Otis Williams, the last original member.

Favorite album: Psychedelic Shack

Favorite song: I Can’t Get Next To You

Compared to expectations: ↑

Recommendation: Get those “psychedelic soul” albums referenced above, but their earlier “classic 5” era albums are very good too, such as Getting’ Ready and The Temptations with a Lot o’ Soul

(September 2023) Episode 523 is THE ISLEY BROTHERS. You might know them best for the classics “Shout” and “Twist and Shout,” prime examples of how gospel’s call-and-response helped define soul and rock. These late 50s recordings were just the beginning of a six-decade career of six brothers from Cincinnati, in various combinations, which is still going. They covered all the styles through that span: early R&B, soul, funk, disco, smooth R&B. My favorite period is 1969-75, their peak of funky soul, with hits like “It’s Your Thing” and “That Lady.” Everything from the 1980s on is not my thing. I commend their 1971 album “Givin’ It Back.” After a decade of watching White artists cover their material, they flip it by recording songs by Dylan, Stills, Young and Taylor. And they do it great.

Favorite album: 3+3

Favorite song: I Turned You On

Favorite cover song: Summer Breeze

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Try those eight albums from 1969-75, or a greatest hits collection; make sure it includes the songs above and the funkalicious “If He Can You Can” and “The Heat Is On.”

(April 2022) Episode 401 is BARRY WHITE. “If chocolate fudge cake could sing, it would sound like Barry White” – the baritone-bass voice that catalyzed countless romances. Smooth, soulful, iconic. 

Favorite album: Stone Gon’

Favorite song:  Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up

Favorite instrumental (could it get any more 70s in here?): Love’s Theme (credited to Love Unlimited Orchestra)

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: essential in any spin of 70s soul

(May 2020) Episode 265 is CURTIS MAYFIELD including his time in THE IMPRESSIONS.  I dig late 60s-early 70s soul/funk, a sound Mayfield helped create and mastered. That sweet falsetto is so distinctive.  I began with his time in The Impressions to get a full sense of his evolution from R&B into soul and the strong social commentary that characterized his work.  His quality dropped off after Superfly, into banal disco and then bland 80s adult contemporary soul.

Favorite album: Superfly

Favorite song: Freddie’s Dead

Compared to expectations: same