For the uninitiated, Kearney Barton is a veteran recording engineer from the Pacific Northwest whose résumé runs the gamut from classical audiophile discs to classic over-the-top garage punk singles from
the Sonics and
the Wailers. Barton also recorded plenty of local funk and soul acts at his Seattle studio, Audio Recording, and a number of rare sides he cut later popped up on the 2004 compilation
Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest in Funk and Soul 1965-75. The compilation generated enough interest in Seattle's old-school R&B scene that a number of acts reunited for new sessions at Barton's studio, and this follow-up reveals these experienced funkateers haven't lost their touch with the passage of time. The mood of many of these tracks is laid back, but the bass and drums lay out potent grooves even on fusion-styled numbers like Overton Berry's "Humpty Dumpty" and Johnny Horn's "Baddest," and when the bands lock into something hot, such as Ron Buford's "H.O.E.," you'd be hard-pressed to imagine that most of the folks on this album are nearing eligibility for Social Security. Audio Recording looks like a spectacular mess in the cover photos, but Barton has given this disc a rich and satisfying sound, enough so that it doesn't seem quite so odd that his name has been chosen as the title (though a few
Sonics fans might be a bit surprised by this stuff). And even if a down-and-dirty funk remake of
Soundgarden's "Jesus Christ Pose" with a gospel choir on the side sounds like a bad joke, Pastor Pat Wright's passionate take on the song will make you a believer, and Broham's "Everything Good Is Bad" is a cheating song that should have been a radio hit back in the day. This is a joyous and soulful reunion for the
Wheedle's Groove crew, and most of these tracks are sharp enough to suggest many of these acts ought to cut albums of their own. ~ Mark Deming