****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Chicago soul legend Jerry Butler has a great career resume. He was doo-wopping with Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions in the late 50's, and one of my favorite songs of all time is 1958's (or 1959's) "Gift Of Love," a gorgeous ballad with Butler's pleading lead vocals, and the song always without fail sends goosebumps up and down me, and the song was also re-released on Jerry Butler's solo album He Will Break Your Heart from 1960, and he made solo magic through the 60's and well beyond. Well at the end of the 60's, Butler hooks up with Philly soul magicians Gamble and Huff (Intruders, Blue Notes, O'Jays, etc), and again the listener is treated to another side of Mr. Butler. This CD is a 2-Fer of his end of 60's albums The Ice Man Cometh and Ice On Ice. Before the listener even opens up the album, he or she can see how classy the music is based on Mr. Butler's dapper appearance on both album covers, and yes, the music is just as classy. Gamble and Huff co-write with Jerry Butler and produce these albums. The production is immaculate, and Mr. Butler's baritone voice is extremely well-suited for the music. The Ice Man Cometh (tracks 1-11) is my favorite of the 2 albums here, and I believe is from late 1968 (I was born in the 80's, so I was not around for it), and has several classic RnB jams. One of my favorite songs here is "Never Give You Up," a great slower groove for the slow dance. "Hey, Western Union Man" is one of the lead singles here from 1968 and has great string orchestration, and deals with sending a message and candy and flowers to a loved one trying to get in touch with her. "Lost" is another cool song about being "lost ... but found in the nick of time" with respect to a difficult time finding a good romance. It is uptempo and uplifting. "How Can I Get In Touch With You" has again that magic Gamble and Huff orcestration, and the title is self-explanatory. Ice on Ice (tracks 12-22) was from 1969, and is another cool album. "Moody Woman" has some tropical background, somewhat islander, with a slight sitar like guitar twang, and is a cool mid-tempo groove. "What's The Use of Breaking Up?" is a midtempo song, dealing with the issue of not even bothering to break up because the relationship will just be made up again anyways. "Don't Let Love Hang You Up" reminds me a little of an up beat soul-rockabilly-rock soup of a song, with its tempo and instrumentation. In short, both late 60's album show off Jerry Butler's versatility and showcase Gamble and Huff's up and coming as producers. Any serious soul and RnB fans should check this 2-Fer set out for real music.
