Various Artists - This Is Lowrider Soul / Various - Music & Performance - CD

The Mexican and central and South American immigrants and their descendants who originally settled mainly around East Los Angeles have had an affinity for sweet soul love ballads for many years. In recent times the collecting scene has intensified and spread to soul fans around the world who, already sympathetic to the music, were intrigued by the titles that were finding such favour among this very hip scene. The Lowrider tag comes from their love of classic US automobiles modified to cruise the city streets customised in the coolest fashion of the day. UK soul label owner, DJ and promoter Sean Hampsey has teamed up with fellow DJ Ruben Molina, one of the genre's participants and authorities, to produce Kent's CD tribute to the scene and style. Molina has written The Old Barrio Guide To Lowrider Music and works in a DJ team called the Southern Soul Spinners around their southern California heartland. The music on this CD stretches over nine years and moves from late doo wop to sophisticated sweet soul harmony ballads. Scene classics are provided by the Whispers, Barbara Mason, the Ambassadors, Brenton Wood and Lee Williams & the Cymbals, most of which are quite well known in Europe, too. More esoteric picks are provided by the Endeavors, Aesop's Fables, Jimmy Conwell, the Vows and the Interpreters. Being Kent, we suggested some previously unreleased masters to the selectors and they were knocked out to include the Lovers Bay Area-recorded 'When You're Poor' and the Billy Terrell, Ray Dahrouge and Tony Camillo-written-and-produced gem 'I'm Just Passing Time'; their inclusion has caused a buzz around the scene. Other highlights are brilliant but not widely known tracks by William Bell, the Lovelles, Jeff Dale and the Attractions, while the Charmels, the Webs and Reuben Bell records have become hot items among the European collecting fraternity in recent years. It is a musical phenomenon collectors are eager to learn ore about and this release will be picked up by all types of black music collectors.