Shades of Brown – S.O.B.

(A lost nugget from the Chicago soul scene, and one of the rarest ’70s albums on Chess! The album’s filled with great tracks in a range of soul styles — sweet, funky, and Northern Soul — all wrapped together with a tightness that rivals The Dells or Temptations at their best, and topped with harmony vocals that are simply mindblowing. Producer Bobby Miller really helps the group find their groove — and arrangements by Richard Evans and Charles Stepney tie the whole thing together beautifully. All tracks are originals, and completely fresh — the kind of lost soul tunes you’d normally find only by digging through a pile of rare 45s. Sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest and others — and reissued here for the first time ever!)