IMPRESSED! 24 GROUPS INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY IMPRESSIONS & CURTIS MAYFIELD (KENT SOUL, CDKEND 205)

The main reason Kent compilations are so special is the creative attitude behind the whole project. Look at this brand new one, who else could only imagine to choose 24 groups inspired by the Impressions and arrange such a strong testament to Curtis' genius? I'm sure he would be proud of it, a great soul collection done by soul lovers and aimed at soul lovers. Peter Burns, one of the Impressions' foremost experts, has helped Adrian Croasdell to select the tracks and the final result is excellent. The average offer are ballads and mid-tempo, with a particular emphasis on falsetto vocal harmonies. Check out the Enjoyables' "Bout My baby", an unissued number discovered in the Capitol vaults, this is Chicago Soul at its very best. Many groups are not from the Chicago area but, as the Impressions were hitting the charts nationally, their sound was a model to look at all over the Country. The Astors, the Climates, the Marvellos, the Saints ("I've Been taken For A Ride" finally should receive the attention it deserves), the Topics, the Notations, the Poets, the Falcons, the Four Puzzles, to name but a few, deliver us 100% karat soul. They were not mere imitators but just got inspiration from Curtis' talent. If the project works as Ady expect, there will be more volumes to come. Kent is also working on similar tributes to others soul masters like the Miracles and the Drifters. More goodies for our collections are en route.