Just as classic instrumentals like Booker T. & the MG's'"Green Onions" and Cliff Nobles'"The Horse" defied the odds to crack the charts in a soul genre dominated by vocalists, so too have obscure instrumentals like the Just Brothers'"Sliced Tomatoes" earned a place of honor in the pantheon of Northern soul greats, where every record falls into the ranks of the esoteric. Another sterling release from the Goldmine Soul Supply reissue label, Walkin' the Duck assembles close to two dozen instrumentals from Northern soul's late-'60s heyday, bringing new clarity to the percolating basslines, funky rhythms, and chicken-scratch guitar licks that comprise the bedrock of the classic soul sound. Stripped of vocals that would otherwise dominate the proceedings, cuts like André Brasseur's "The Kid" and Van McCoy's "Sweet and Easy" reveal a complexity and craft closely approximating jazz, the interplay between the musicians is stunning, a potent reminder of the virtuosity these long-forgotten studio hotshots brought to each and every session. [amg]
