King Floyd: Think About It (1973)

Stax soul meets New Orleans funk on this excellent outing from a little known singer.

Floyd's career never really took of, despite an unique, expressive voice and plenty of solid original pieces. His one big hit was "Groove Me", recorded at the same session as Jean Knight's "Mr Big Stuff". Funny enough, producer Wardell Quezergue had problems finding a record company willing to distribute either of these songs. Atlantic finally took up "Groove Me", scoring an r'n'b number 1, while "Mr Big Stuff" evolved into the best-selling Stax single of all time.

King Floyd had a few minor hits after "Groove Me", but from all i know, recorded only five albums, of which "Think About It" is the third. His original pieces show a penchant for slogan-like refrains, like Do Your Feelings, Everybody Needs Somebody etc. set against stripped down funk/soul grooves in the best New Orleans tradition (think Meters, Lee Dorsey).

Here It Is and the Otis Redding' classic Hard To Handle are typical examples of soul-macho, "can-do-it-all, have-seen-it-all" songs. Handle is a superb cover-version, showing that Floyd had the soul shouter routine down pat.

These are all great tracks but for me things begin to get really interesting when the singer alows a look behind that cool, tough-guy ado: pleading his Woman not to go astray, King delivers one of the finest vocals on the album. Classic soul. Wisely picked by Atlantic as the album's single. Without much success, though.

Again pleading his lady not to go, but to Think About It, Floyd loses even more of his cool. Hard to image he wasn't able to persuade her. There's some strings and female background singing here, typical 1970s sheen. Another Otis Redding cover, btw.

Thank You has evolved into my favourite track on the album. It's another one of the more polished arrangements, with an irresistible, almost reggae-like, mid-tempo rhythm. Not really reggae, though. Maybe more of the New Orleans flavour that shines through on several tracks here.

Oh yes, My Girl. To put it simple, i don't like it. An overlong, dispensable, monologue-version. But the only let-down on a great album.



King Floyd: Think About It
ATCO Records ‎SD 7023, 1973

A1 My Girl (W. Robinson / R. White) 6:33
A2 Here It Is (King Floyd III) 3:19
A3 Do Your Feeling (King Floyd III / T. Borges) 3:03
A4 It's Not What You Say (M. Adams / A. Savoy / W. Quezergue) 2:45
A5 Woman Don't Go Astray (King Floyd III) 2:25

B1 Think About It (Don Covay / Otis Redding) 3:18
B2 Thank You (King Floyd III / T. Royal) 3:22
B3 Hard To Handle (A. Jones / A. Isbell / Otis Redding) 2:29
B4 You've Got Me (A. Savoy / A. Savoy) 3:43
B5 Everybody Needs Somebody (King Floyd III) / T. Royal 2:40

Arranged By Wardell Quezergue; Produced by Elijah Walker
Recorded at Malaco Studios, Jackson, Mississippi.