Having profiled Laurel Aitken the other month I then came by this new release from Pressure Drop records entitled ‘Voodoo Woman - Music For Mods: Soul And Ska Sounds From The Sixties’ with the emphasis mainly on soul and also, though not in the title, R&B.
Now before Jamaica found its own musical style in the shape of ska the big noise at the dancehalls of the late 50’s was American R&B and opener ‘Voodoo Woman’ is straight up Bo Diddly inspired, pounding piano, brass stabbing, jungle rhythm beating R&B and ‘I Believe’ with its lolloping gait is Professor Long Hair meets gospel. There are some nice soul tunes ‘Jamaica’ is a heartfelt, homesick sounding lament squarely aimed at the new immigrant population of the UK, who were perhaps questioning whether they’d done the right thing in leaving for these shores. ‘Sweet Precious Love’ on the other hand is a real upbeat foot stomper. On the ska front ‘You Can’t Stop Me From Loving You’ and ‘Don’t Play With Fire’ are good ol’ fashioned harmonica powered gems.
A lot of the songs have a feeling like you’ve heard it before with Laurel “borrowing” snippets and ideas long before the Gallagher brothers. ‘Last Night’ is an obvious cover / reworking of the Mar-Keys Atlantic hit while others such as ‘Bewildered Blues’ are more subtle as he steals a piano opening from Kerry Lester’s ‘Love Letters’ while ‘You Left Me Standing’ for some reason making me want to burst into a chorus of The Drifters ‘Save the Last Dance’.This is obviously a must for fans and collectors of Aitken, with almost all tracks new to CD,as it showcases another side to his prolific output, but also this should appeal to those who like tunes with a sixties groove that are more on the obscure side as well as to those of straight R&B. The album is well packaged with great informative sleeve notes by Mike Atherton. I mean I learnt a new great piece of trivia in that Laurels backing singers The Carols were just up the road from me in St Albans! A nicely put together album despite a dubious title, I do hate this compartmentalizing thing, although I can see where they are coming from.
Tracklisting:
1. Voodoo Woman
2. Last Night
3. Baby Don T Do It
4. You Can T Stop Me From Loving You
5. Seven Lonely Nights
6. I Believe
7. Bewildered And Blue
8. Jamaica
9. Looking For My Baby
10. You Left Me Standing
11. I M In Love With You Baby
12. Glory Hallelujah
13. I've Been Weeping And Crying
14. I Need You Aka Indeed I Love You
15. Let S Be Lovers Aka I Can T Stand It
16. Don T Play With Fire
17. The Mule
18. This Little Girl Of Mine
19. I Want To Love You Forever
20. Pack Your Bundle And Go
21. Bongo Jerk
22. Don T Break Your Promise
23. Never You Hurt The One You Love
24. Sweet Precious Love
25. Darling
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