Aaron Neville once proclaimed
Roland Stone to be "the singingest white guy I've ever heard," and once you listen to this collection, you just might agree with him. Although he never became a national star,
Roland Stone (nee Le Blanc) had the indefinable element of Crescent City soul in his vocalizing; this collection of his Ace masters shows him off in a variety of New Orleans-fueled sessions, all of them loaded with
Stone's soulful singing. Even on the cornier and more pop-oriented things here, he imparts a more in-the-pocket groove and a better sense of time than your garden variety
Jimmy Clanton wannabes who also infested the label during this time frame. His first single, "Preacher's Daughter," is aboard, along with "Just a Moment," the only record he's ever had that remotely resembled a hit for him. Yet, there's highlights a-plenty on this set, the more notable ones being "Remember Me," "I Can't Help It," the slow, blue sleaze of "My Baby's Gone," and the earlier, rougher take of "The Preacher's Daughter." Some great New Orleans from someone who isn't a household name, but sure ought to be. ~ Cub Koda