Matthews, Milt - Milt Matthews Inc. - Used LP

New vinyl.  Old stock.  Rare soul/funk 1970. 

Varied set, but it's full of DIY charm from go to whoa and features some standout numbers that stand above the others.   It looks like a folk or folk blues set, but it's North Carolina soul, with electric organ and electric guitars.

"...an overall excellent album by Milt Matthews Inc.

"Milt Matthews was born in North Carolina, but relocated to Washington, DC in the mid-60s, where he worked as a session guitarist and songwriter.

"His 1970 debut LP is an outstanding example of the intersection of soul, folk and funk, which was bubbling up into the zeitgeist at the time.

"Matthews spends the album working out all manner of mellow grooves, sounding like a soulful singer-songwriter in the Bill Withers/Lou Bond tradition, but with a solid, funky underpinning.

"‘It Ain’t Your Fault’ is one of the more upbeat tunes on the album, mixing jazzy lead guitar with organ and nice, solid rhythm section locked into the groove.

"Matthews talent as a vocalist is well-displayed in his version of the O.C. Smith ‘Little Green Apples’. Here we have a song that I thought I never needed to hear again, yet Matthews takes it and really digs in, playing with the tempo and delivering an epic reading of the song that clocks in at over eight minutes. It’s rare to hear someone get their hands on a ‘standard’ and really do something interesting and new with it, and Matthews really makes the song his own.

"Try and get your hands on a copy of the album, which is excellent from start to finish.

"Oddly enough, Matthews second LP ‘For the People’ moves in a more psych-rock direction and is sought out by collectors of the genre." - Larry (Funky16Corners)