The Show Must Go On (French 2012 Remaster)

Chronique

The best R&B songwriter and soul singer that most people have never heard of, Sam Dees has written songs for countless artists, including Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, George Benson, the Temptations, Teddy Pendergrass, Millie Jackson, Jackie Wilson, the Manhattans, Regina Belle, KC & the Sunshine Band, Willie Clayton, and many others. He's also a pretty fine singer, having recorded for the Chess, Atlantic, Polydor, and SSS imprints, and he had a nice string of his own hits in the 1970s. His 1975 Atlantic album The Show Must Go On has long been regarded by Southern soul aficionados as one of the best of the genre, but curiously it has never been available in the digital realm until now. This reissue, which adds six additional tracks and single mix edits, proves the point. Sounding a bit like a deeper-voiced Curtis Mayfield (in both style and theme), Dees sings with assurance, wisdom, passion, and a whole lot of soul here. Songs like "Child of the Streets" (here in both album and single versions), "Troubled Child," "What's It Gonna Be," and the harrowing album outtake "Signed Miss Heroin" share Mayfield's commitment to social commentary, and Dees knows his way around a love song, too. With the bonus tracks added, it makes a lost treasure even more of a gem. Kudos to Real Gone Music for bringing The Show Must Go On forward into the 21st century. It's absolutely essential.

© Steve Leggett /TiVo