4.0 out of 5 stars
excellent, August 1, 2010
This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)
The vast majority of Baby Come Back To Me, this JJ Barnes compilation, is Northern Soul. This music had neither the hard grit of Stax or the sweet pop sense of Motown. If you remember popular tracks like "Move On Up" by the Esquires or "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" by Tyrone Davis, this gives you a marker where JJ Barnes stood musically
And it is great music. Some strings, lots of vibraphones, melodic but not to sappy--open sounds. A few of these tracks fall just a little on the sugar side, but even these maintain a groove spine.
Then, in the middle of Baby Comes Back To Me, the most surreal thing happens. "So Called Friends." George Clinton somehow got hold of JJ around 1968 or 1969 and produced this track--some of the meanest, nastiest acid funk this side of Hendrix. I can't be sure but I think the back up here was soon to be Funkidelic troops. Either way, you have to get this if only for this track
Then like a tornado, "So Called Friends" is gone and its back to soulville. Is JJ winking? "Let's pretend I never got down into the psychedelic bada-s gutter."
Ok, sure. But we all know he did, and good as the rest of this elegant music is, I wish George had taken JJ slummin', just a few more times.
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