Led by the seraphic falsetto of guitarist and songwriting genius Curtis Mayfield after the late Jerry Butler departed for a solo career in 1958, The Impressions became one of the key soul groups of the 1960s with anthemic message songs like ‘Keep On Pushing’ and ‘People Get Ready.’ Just reissued on vinyl by Elemental Music is Ridin’ High, the group’s sixth album for the ABC-Paramount label. Although the 1966 album didn’t yield any hit singles, it was among the group’s most successful LPs, reaching No. 4 on the US R&B chart and No. 69 on The Billboard 200, the list of America’s top-selling pop records.
Beginning as a quintet, by 1962, The Impressions had slimmed down to a trio consisting of Mayfield with baritone/second tenor singer Fred Cash and the resonant bass voice of Sam Gooden. The sweet soul sound they cultivated was distinctively Chicagoan; smooth, urbane, eloquent, and the antithesis of the raw, earthy Stax sound emanating from Memphis in the same period.
Impeccably produced and arranged by former bassist-turned-A&R-man Johnny Pate, Ridin’ High is a classic example of a mid-’60s uptown Chi-town soul. The album’s themes range from declarations of euphoria (‘Ridin’ High’), and heeding parental advice (‘That’s What Mama Say’) to confessions of desire (the beautifully upbeat ‘I Need You’) and the need for personal freedom (‘Gotta Get Away’). Interestingly, the album contains an excellent version of the stately ‘I Need To Belong To Someone,’ a track they first recorded as a single under the title ‘Need To Belong’ backing up Jerry Butler three years earlier: on their own version, Mayfield shares the lead vocals with Gooden.
On the album’s most dramatic cut, ‘Man’s Temptation,’ which simmers with pummeling tom-tom drums, Mayfield articulates the dilemma of someone caught up in a love triangle. Proving Mayfield’s capability as a tunesmith, the album contains only one cover: a sweet revamp of Betty Everett and Jerry Butler’s 1964 hit duet ‘Let It Be Me.’
A quintessential album from their most fertile period, the consistently enjoyable Ridin’ High captures the Chicago trio at the apex of their power. It’s available now on 140-gram vinyl, but if you want a copy, you’d better hurry as it’s a limited edition.
(CW) 4/5
