Team Airplay – Music Promotion – Marketing – Merchandising – Management

Sometimes it can get frustrating to count all the songs on a new CD that have been released earlier. Off the top of my head I can say that on Soul Tapestry (Surfside, SR 1027; www.surfsiderecords.com) at least Bittersweet, You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk, Three Women and All in the Family have been available before, but that still leaves us with ten equally elevating tracks.

Produced and all songs written by General Johnson, the rhythm section consists of live musicians and as always the background is rich and arrangement-wise supports melodies in a delicate way. In the line-up of General, Danny Woods and Ken Knox (www.chairmenoftheboard.com), the boys bring the heat up on a melodic dancer called I Go Crazy, a tough beater titled Beatin’ the Bushes and What’s Up, a funky chugger with social comments.

Mid-tempo songs include Keep on Foolin’ Me and two quite infectious tunes, Can’t Get over You and What a Woman Wants. The opening bars of the foot-tapping That’s My Story (and I’m Stickin’ to it) may remind you of Rock Your Baby, and with Danny on lead this song has evolved into a Southern & shag hit.

Chances Are is a nostalgic, melodic beat ballad, and For Old Times’ Sake is an even more heart-breaking sobber. Please Give Some Love Today is another touching social plea. Overall, this whole CD just radiates the joy of creating back-to-basics music. With story-telling, melodic songs and emotional deliveries – be it a jolly dancer or a tear-jerker – it certainly is one of the top albums this year

My own in-depth interview with General dates back already fifteen years (in our printed issue # 1/94), but in case you’re interested in the history of the group the members do some reminiscing on their recent DVD, Under the Radar (www.soulexpress.net/deep109.htm#chairmen).