Smoked Sugar: "Smoked Sugar"

I’m guessing these guys were seriously into cooking and baking, that’s the only reason they’d name themselves “Smoked Sugar,” right?  Right?  Anyhow, unhh!  Mid-‘70’s vocal soul with a gritty funk edge, produced and performed by a bunch of unknowns—Hadley Murrell, Oliver Williams, James Conwell—names I’ve never seen before, and I’m obsessive about reading liner notes and credits.  There’s a bit of a psychedelic hue to the group’s heavier material, which can be found on cuts like “I’ve Found Someone Of My Own,” “Bump Me” and “It’s Funny Til I Start Crying.”  Sweet falsettos and aching vocal leads factor in, too, on slow-grind tracks like “My Eyes Search A Lonely Room For You” and “Don’t Let The Feeling Hit Me Again.”  This LP is a great example of how, during this time period (1975), there were SO many groups attempting to break through to the mainstream with a funk-soul style, and that in the overwhelming flood of contributors, musicians and producers, talented acts like Smoked Sugar were bound to get lost in the shuffle.  Reason enough to dig deep in those crates, folks.