Hey Everybody, Let Yourself Go

This is JB on the verge between oldschool R&B and the funk that was to come. Here we have "Bring It Up" (aka "Hipster's Avenue") in it's original form. Those who know this song from "Live at the Apollo Vol. 2" may smile at the inclusion of the female background singers. Then there's his early message tune "Dont Be a Drop Out," which led to JB's "Stay in School" campaign of the 60s. "Money Won't Change You" is an interesting mix of oldschool and newschool funk, and "Let Youself Go" was the foundation of what would become one of JB's masterpieces "There Was A Time." Overall, this shows you JB as he was and as he was to become. A good buy.

The first James Brown ALBUM.

Until the release of this l.p., James Brown's non-live albums were collections with a few hit A sides and several non-thematic filler tracks. "Raw Soul" was a contemporary effort to present his new, progressive sound. The uptempo R & B/jazz offerings such as "Bring It Up", "Money Won't Change You", and "Let Yourself Go" are all artistic landmarks which changed popular music forever. "Don't Be A Dropout" is another 4/4 beat but with a softer vocal in deference to the socially conscious lyrics. The ballads are variably successful: "Nobody Knows" is the best, somewhat in the '69/'71 "Bewildered" style, an emotional masterpiece. The more traditional "The Nearness Of You", recorded at the same session as "Money Won't Change You," features huge orchestration but is not what it could have been. "Only You" is well recorded but again we have a sense of unfinished business. "Till Then" features strings and an ethereal James - he reaches high in his voice box for this one. It's very unusual. Interestingly enough, he did lip-sync it on a Dick Clark TV production.
"Raw Soul" - the perfect title for this album and this artist's style.