The late '60s and early '70s were a very productive time for
Charles Earland. At his best, the organist delivered five-star gems during that period, such as
Black Talk and
Living Black -- and at his worst, he provided decent, if unremarkable, albums like
Black Drops. Although not in a class with
Black Talk or
Living Black, this
Bob Porter-produced soul-jazz/hard bop LP is satisfying and generally enjoyable.
Earland surrounds himself with mostly fellow Philadelphians, including tenor and soprano saxophonist
Jimmy Heath, guitarist Maynard Parker, trombonist Clayton Pruden, and drummer Jimmy Turner -- in fact, the only non-Philadelphian on
Black Drops is trumpeter
Virgil Jones. Highlights of the LP range from the driving hard bop of
Earland's "Buck Green" and
John Coltrane's "Lazybird" to a funky workout on Sly Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" and some mellow, congenial grooving on "Don't Say Goodbye," and
Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." ~ Alex Henderson