Sweet Charles: "For Sweet People From Sweet Charles"

Bona fide rare funk BOMB.  James Brown produced this ultra-difficult-to-find LP for his on-and-off bassist/band-leader “Sweet” Charles Sherrell, and it sounds like no other record on the JB-owned People label.  Often you wonder if you’re listening to a Curtis Mayfield album instead; Sherrell’s falsetto and uptown-soul-with-strings approach is about as far from James Brown’s raw funk jams as possible.  There are, however, moments with heavy drums and funk breaks, such as the radically rearranged take on the Hayes-Porter classic “Soul Man,” or the oft-sampled deep soul cut “Yes It’s You.”  Sweet Charles’ vocals glide lightly over the tracks, but are tough enough when the music calls for it.  This album has had hype surrounding its rarity for years, and I can definitely say it’s an important addition to the collection for the in-depth James Brown fan.