Even if you don't like a single song on this compilation (which I doubt if you're a fan of soul music and want to dig deeper into it's origin and history) you have to admire the time, love, and efforts Soul Jazz Records has put into this compilation. Not only have they come up with 20 obscure and rare releases from the famous Chess Records label but they also have spared neither trouble nor expense to add a forty-paged booklet with lots of additional information about the artists and the label. And if that isn't enough you can also find an interview with Marshall Chess on the accompanying website.
What do we get musically on Chicago Soul? 20 classic and rare pieces of the music, that were recorded between 1963 and 1969 and that made Chess Records famous with illustrious artists like Bo Diddley, Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Buddy Guy, Rotary Connection (with Minnie Riperton's voice), Muddy Waters, Gene Chandler or Fontella Bass.
Some of the tracks do of course sound a little bit dated, nevertheless they are great songs and it's also interesting to see that it's possible to put everything into two to three minutes songs while people nowadays need five or more minutes. And there are also songs that still sound very fresh and could've easily been recorded this decade. Burning Spear by The Soulful Strings is one of these rare instrumental tracks. The Soulful Strings were a mere studio act put together by writer/producer/arranger Richard Evans. Burning Spear starts with the sound of the Kalimba and then we get a great flute solo by Vernice Green and Leonard Druss together with a string section, organ vibes, bongos, congas etc. And this is a damn funky piece of jazz fusion that was obviously ahead of it's time.
Ramsey Lewis' Party Time also sounds fresh nearly forty years after it's recording. Again written, produced and arranged by Richard Evans this is a funky tune with Maurice White (later to succeed with Earth, Wind & Fire) on drums.
In My Body's House sung by Gene Chandler is a classic deep soul song that's more famous as Hard Times, later recorded by Baby Huey and its writer Curtis Mayfield.
The music styles represented here are very versatile with the above mentioned jazz fusion and soul songs or blues songs like Evil by Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters with I Just Want To Make Love To You or the psychedelic jazz-funk of Dorothy Ashby's Soul Vibrations. With Lorez Alexandria's Baltimore Oriole there's also a vocal jazz gem with a mesmerizing flute by Ronald Wilson.
Add to this more sixties soul by Etta James (Tell Mama; You Got It), Eve Barnum (Please Newsboy), Laura Lee (Mama's Got A Good Thing) or Fontella Bass (Leave It In The Hand Of Love) and you have a very inspiring and interesting compilation that brings black music's history alive.