Era Records: Northern Soul N/A Artist

The Los Angeles-based label {|Era|} didn't specialize in soul but in the late '50s, co-owners and cousins {|Lew Bedell|} and {|Herb Newman|} made a conscious decision to strengthen their R&B roster. This move paid off in 1962, when {|Jewel Akens|}' T... Read more

The Los Angeles-based label {|Era|} didn't specialize in soul but in the late '50s, co-owners and cousins {|Lew Bedell|} and {|Herb Newman|} made a conscious decision to strengthen their R&B roster. This move paid off in 1962, when {|Jewel Akens|}' The Birds and the Bees turned into a major hit, ushering in era where {|Era|} recorded a lot of pop-oriented soul. A lot of this didn't hit the charts, and even more of it was never released, which makes {|Ace|}/{|Kent|}'s 2014 compilation {|Era Records: Northern Soul|} a bit of a godsend for collectors, as it unearths a ton of rarities recorded between 1962 and 1968. Eight of the 24 songs see their first release here, but the rest are hardly well-known, with {|Akens|} and future {|Motown|} star {|Brenda Holloway|} being the only recognizable stars here. Even if the names aren't familiar, the sound certainly is: it's the slick, cool pop-soul called Northern soul in the U.K., a sound that relies heavily on the uptown strut of the Windy City and the propulsion of the Motor City. {|Era|} had a slightly splashier spin on this sound, and there are plenty of moments here that deliver pleasure, including {|Othello Robertson|}'s effervescent So in Luv, the swinging minor-key groove of {|Steve Flanagan|}'s I've Arrived (he also has a brighter, sunnier single in I Need to Be Loved So Bad), the funkier attack of {|Jimmy Lewis|} on What Can I Do Now? and {|the Impressions|}-styled harmonies of {|the Turn Arounds|}. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less