Artist: Various Artists
Album: Finally Together: The Ru-Jac Records Story, Volume Three: 1966-1967
Label: Ru-Jac Records/Omnivore Records
Release Date: 2.2.2018
Lying fallow for almost the entirety of 1966, save for silky, flowing gowns of singles like “Wait ‘Til Then” and “When I’m Alone” from classy singer Rita Doryse, Baltimore’s Ru-Jac Records regained its fertility in 1967. The third installment from Omnivore Records’ in-depth series of archival releases detailing the long-forgotten soul/R&B imprint’s life and times covers the label’s activity over a pivotal two-year period.
The works of artists like Kitty Lane, Gene & Eddie, Winfield Parker, The Shyndells, Sir Joe, The Caressors and Leon Gibson are highlighted on this 25-track set, which spotlights a rich and vibrant soul/R&B scene—overshadowed by the famed Philadelphia sound and Motown’s hit-making factory – that never rose to great prominence. It wasn’t for lack of trying, as Ru-Jac Records, started by local promotor Rufus Mitchell and his investor/partner Jack Bennett, churned out a ton of regional singles from its inception in 1963 until the mid-1970s, with only a precious few raising much of a fuss outside of Charm City.
Necessary and important, the careful salvage work done by Omnivore Records to sonically restore these songs is remarkable, as Kevin Coombes – co-producer of the set and an expert in East Coast Soul—digs deep into the business end and the creative efforts of Ru-Jac in enlightening liner notes. A good read from cover to cover, they provide fascinating biographical snapshots of its underappreciated artists, as the screaming-hot, sweaty funk of Gibson’s electrifying “Do the Roller,” the sexy, bluesy confidence of Lane’s “The Feeling is Gone” and the swirling momentum and resonant vocals of Winfield Parker’s “Go Away Playgirl” whisk you away to another hazy place and time.
Bare-boned demos, the oddball, slap-dashed instrumental “Lightning (Part 1)” by The Shyndells and other cuts that are slow to build take some getting used to. Lacking the polish of bigger operations, the occasionally unkempt production actually enhances the shaggy, underdog charm of this collection. However, the upbeat, piano-pounding drive of Parker and the Shyndells Band’s “Sweet Little Girl” is compellingly tight and Sir Joe’s “Nobody Beats My Love” comes across as tough and tender, put together beautifully like one of Phil Spector’s best girl-group recordings. It’s on to Vol. 4.
—Peter Lindblad
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