THE O'JAYS
I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow - The Bell Sessions 1967-1969 (Sundazed)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The late 60s found the O'Jays at a crossroads. After a decade in the music business, they'd scored some decent R&B hits, grazed the lower reaches of the Hot 100 and established themselves on the stages of the lounges of Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip, but it seemed as though their career had peaked at a fairly modest height. The twenty tracks on this album, including five previously unreleased songs, represented their effort to reach for the gold ring, a solid crossover hit, for Thom Bell's Bell Records.

That hit didn't come, but it wasn't for lack of effort or ability. This is great sixties soul music, blending pop covers, soulful ballads and solid dance numbers. Their next move, to Gamble and Huff's Philly International, would produce the hits that make them a familiar name to anyone with a passing knowledge of 70s pop, but the roots of that success are apparent throughout this disc of lesser known material.

This is a solid collection of music from a formative stage in the career of one of the foremost vocal groups in R&B history, and these tracks deserve the broader audience this disc makes possible.

Track List:

I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today) * I'm So Glad I Found You * Going Going Gone * That's Alright * I Dig Your Act * Look Over Your Shoulder * You're Too Sweet * Just Another Guy * Four For The Price Of One * Love Is Everywhere * Now That I've Found You * I'll Be Seeing You * The Choice * I Miss You * You're Leaving Me * Sure Would Be Nice * Don't You Know A True Love * Last Thing She Said * Baby You Move Me * Be My Girl

© 2002 - Shaun Dale