GIVE US A LITTLE SIGN!

BRENTON WOOD? Of course we all know him. He enjoyed a couple of massive hits – ‘The Ogum Bogum Song’ and ‘Gimme A Little Sign’ (both 1967)  – and soul connoisseurs revere his equally catchy ‘Baby You Got It’. And that seems to be that. Or does it? Collectors know that there’s much more to the singer,  born Alfred Jesse Smith in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1941, than those three tunes. If you want proof, may we point you to a lovely, upcoming release from CRAFT RECORDINGS which brings us 18 of the man’s “best”.

‘The Ogum Bogum Song’, ‘Gimme A Little Sign’  and ‘Baby You Got It’ are included of course and there’s plenty more of the same easy-going, optimistic, soft soul rollers. Things like ‘Catch You On The Rebound’, ‘I Think You Got Your Fools Mixed Up’ and ‘Two Time Loser’ deliver the same infectious , charming sound that in some sort of odd way reminds me of the things contemporaries  like Barbara Lewis and Deon Jackson were releasing at the same time. You know the sort of thing – soulful but never too demanding and with an understated, attraction that’s hard to pin down. Little wonder that some of Wood’s songs are popular on the Latino, Low-Rider scene. ‘Catch You On The Rebound’ is particulary popular while the sweet doo-wop flavoured ‘Me And You’ is another scene favourite and betrays the influence the doo-wop star Jesse Belvin had on him. Indeed till earlier this year when the singer was hospitalised, Wood was an in-demand live performer at Low-Rider music venues and festivals.

FYI, it’s  thought that Shreveport’s Mr Smith took the name “Brenton Wood’ from the moneyed Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles (his family had relocated there when he was a child).

This CRAFT RECORDINGS – ‘BRENTON WOOD’S 18 BEST’ is released on October 4^th on LP and CD. If you like the  sort of gimmicky thing, the vinyl comes in “lemonade” and “baby blue”. By the way, it’s a straight reissue of a compilation that was released in 1991. Sadly the collection doesn’t include Brenton’s’ big Northern tune, ‘Cross The Bridge’ which came out on Brent in 1966 as the B side of ‘Sweet Molly Malone’ and new fetches three figures sums.