Customer Reviews

Movin on

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The late great Oscar Brown Jr. was a one of a kind original Jazz hipster poet/singer/songwriter artist - -

A slick smooth talker, before Gil Scott Heron and Melvin Van Peebles, he wasn't afraid of being controversial...

and emerging after Babs Gonzales, he was one of the few who could really could be said to walk in the hipster tradition long after it was hip to be hep (and he was !)

This album presents the FUNKY SIDE of Oscar Brown circa 1972, and woe daddy, was he DOLEMITE funky...

As for the sound... actually sounds like an Allen Tousaint production... I think there's a lot of Crescent City funk in the groove, say similar to what Dr. John and LaBelle were doing at the time... however, credits reveal that actually it was produced by the great Joel Dorn and the rhythm section includes Bernard Purdie, Cornell Dupree and David "Fathead" Newman to name a few... Needless to say, all the tracks bump... however, the catch is that its not just the music that makes the album great is that Brown was a street poet first and foremost... one with a biting sense of humor and reality... so what you get is an album that's sharply produced, funky, and full of lyrics that you actually find yourself following from the beginning to the the end of each tune - - my favorite being Ladiesman, about an aging hustler lamenting the gradual loss of his sexual prowess. - - If you dig this album, besides checking out Gil, The Hustler's Convention (Lightening Rod), you might also like Eugene McDaniel's HEADLESS HEROES.

Note: As funky as this one is, he's got an even funkier one: Dig FRESH !

Before Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield there was Oscar Brown Jr. One of the sharpest wits to employ his talents to pen and song. When it comes to clever lyrics and vocal delivery, Oscar Brown Jr was second to none. This early 70s release is a funk filled affair featuring a host of great players such as David "Fathead" Newman, Bernard Purdie, and Richard Tee. Brown's caustic portrayal of women in "Walk Away" may be out of vogue in the age of political correctness, but it's all in good fun. Mr. Brown obviously loves women. He'll tell you all about it in his satirical self tribute "Ladies Man". Some of the other songs deal with the rigors of a life teetering on the brink of poverty. Commercial success eluded Brown throughout his long career. The album closes with Young Man, a heartfelt tribute to a fallen friend. Thanks to the late Joel Dorn and now to Collectable Records for rescuing this fine album from obscurity.

I don't find Oscar's Atlantic recordings as easy to listen to as his Columbia or Fontana work. The heavier soul style arrangements do tend to obscure the lyrics somewhat. I must give it another play; I've never noticed the objectionable language referred to in other reviews. That said, Oscar's observations on life are always worth a listen. This certainly isn't my favourite Oscar Brown Jr album but I do get something from it when I play it.

This CD contains objectionable language. His CD entitled Sin and Soul is much better, and his CD entitled Then and Now is also very good. You should avoid Movin' On if you object to vulgar language.