Description
Two Joe Tex albums from 1969 are combined onto this single-disc
reissue, with the addition of both sides of a 1968 single. Happy
Soul, the earlier of the pair, is one of many extremely super-loose
soul concept albums of the 1960s, the inference here being that
this is upbeat, good-natured, humorous soul. Actually it doesn't
sound much different from Tex's usual late-'60s output, but it is
short on the churchy deep soul ballads that usually occupied a
large part of his repertoire and heavy on the happy, sometimes
almost slightly zany songs. It's good soul-funk-pop, naturally
short on songs that are as good as the greatest hits, but with some
real good 'uns, like the ebullient rap-dance tune Chicken Crazy,
You Need Me Baby (with Tex dissing a hometown boy-done-good as
not good enough for the woman he wants), and the frenetic Go Home
and Do It. The ballads aren't entirely neglected, either,
particularly on the slow and sweet You Can Tell and the
inspirational Keep the One You Got. Buying a Book isn't as
upbeat, but maintains a similar level of respectable-to-high
quality, and has a more balanced assortment of the
gospel-influenced stompers (We Can't Sit Down Now), novelty humor
(It Ain't Sanitary), slow organ-graced ballads with spoken
monologues (That's the Way, Buying a Book), and dance funk with
hot guitar/brass/organ interplay (Get Your Lies Together). Tex,
incidentally, wrote all of the songs on both albums, a somewhat
unusual feat for soul stars of the time. The bonus tracks, both
sides of the 1968 single Betwixt and Between/Chocolate Cherry,
are actually instrumentals by Tex's band, both of them moody
funk-soul tunes with a cinematic sweep to the horns. ~ Richie
Unterberger
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