For their latest 7” singles, Spanish boutique soul label SOUL4REAL dips into the mighty Stax back catalogue with releases on CARLA THOMAS and THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP.
The Carla Thomas 45 pairs ‘Loneliness’ with ‘If It’s Not Asking Too Much’ and both see the Queen of Memphis soul in a more sophisticated role than we’d usually expect from her. The A side was written by Isaac Hayes and produced by Steve Cropper. It features classic, punchy, Memphis brass fills, a femme chorus and sweet keyboard riffs (Booker T) – oh, and that warm emotive voice. The putative B side is a little more sparse but equally soulful. The writer was Deanie Parker while Stax boss Jim Stewart takes the producer credit. We believe that both tracks were recorded between 1960 – 1968 and remained unissued till they appeared on a 1992 ‘Hidden Gems’ Stax CD compilation.
Because he and his brothers were gospel stars, the Rance Allen Group 45 is, of course, a little different but no less soulful. For this 45, Soul4Real have paired ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’ with ‘You Need A Friend Like Mine’. Both see the mighty vocalist testifying as only he could. On the A side he soars and swoops like someone possessed and even if you’re not a believer, you’ll still be moved by the passion and fire. ‘You Need A Friend Like Mine’ is a little less frantic – just a little. It features traditional gospel handclaps and it’s fine showcase for Rance’s remarkable falsetto.
Like the Carla Thomas tracks both these Rance Allen cuts were unissued in their day, eventually surfacing on a 1997 Stax CD retrospective on Rance. Thus all four of these cuts are now, for the first time, available on vinyl. Learn more @ https://soul4real.es/
