And now for a touch of class. Edwin Starr featured heavily on the dancefloors of what became known as Northern Soul and this debut album aptly begins with, ‘Agent Double O Soul’ featuring his trademark raw-edged, soulfully charged vocals. Originally released way back in 1968 on Motown’s Gordy label it also contains classic’s such as, ‘(SOS) Stop Her On Sight’ and ‘Headline News’. However as a very welcome bonus, on this re-issue, a handful of gems that didn’t appear on the initial release, such as singles for both Ric-Tic and Motown, are now included alongside a couple of unbeatable instrumental versions. Watch out for the stomping, ‘Backstreet’ and ‘You’re My Mellow’ and you know you are in good company as Edwin Starr delivers the lyrics written by Motown greats such as Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield among others. File under music to dance too, then and now.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by Greg Fenton
