THE DECISIONS were a soul harmony group from Atlanta and like dozens of similar outfits they enjoyed limited, local success and remain unknown in the mainstream. However, over the years their recorded output has won a cult, collectors following – a familiar story in the crazy, soul world.
To meet demand from collectors, UK boutique label Soul Direction sought out and issued a couple of 45s on the group. In 2021 SD released ‘We’re In Love’ coupled with ‘I Love You’ and the following year they delighted collectors with another 45 pairing . ‘That Girl’ with ‘Come Round Here’. All four tracks had never been released before and the team at SD suggested that the four songs were recorded in the late 60s for the group to use as a pitch to win a contract with a label bigger than their own York imprint which had previoulsy issued two Decisions 45.
The success of the two SD singles encouraged the label to seek out more on the Decisions and after months of negotiation and wrangling, the SD team are delighted to release this 15 track album on the Decisions (thought to be Hildred Thomason, Fred White, Henry Little and Howard Simpson). The collection delivers the four sides on the two SD singles alongside the four songs that made up the two aforementioned York 45s and all but one of the five songs they released on the Sussex label to which they signed in 1971. There are also three previously unissued tracks.
The album is named (‘Color Me Blue’) for the A side of the group’s first York single (1969) and it’s a superb, sweet, soul ballad with a soaring falsetto lead and a bass vocal interlude. Fans of harmony balladry will also be delighted with ‘I Love You’ and ‘You Look Like An Angel’. The Northern fraternity will love ‘I Can’t Forget About You’ ( a Sussex B side from ’71) but the majority of the tracks are easy on the ear mid-tempo rollers with ‘Somebody’ and the harmonic ‘Sweet Virginia’ particulary strong, showing the group’s mastery of the art of harmony. That last one is one of the three previously unissued tracks as is the pacey ‘The Pimp And The Hustlers’.
The track conspicuous by its absence on the LP is the Decisions’ version of the Shirelles’ ‘It’s Love That Really Counts’ which Sussex released as a Decisions’ A side in 1971. It’s a Burt Bacharach song, of course, and its absence is down to complicated licensing issues. Its omission, however, doesn’t spoil an excellent archive collection and a masterclass in soul group harmony.
Learn more @ https://soul-direction.co.uk/
(BB) 4/5
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