Diamond the Rough

This second of three underrated releases for finds slowly but surely transforming from a credulous loser into a standup guy no one messes around with. could be viewed as a creative bridge between the slightly formulaic approach of 1973's and the more bluesy and rewarding from 1975. Different from the southern soul belter which distinguished fellow second leaguers and , 's unique feat lies in his earnest yet sometimes ironic take on love and relationships. Exemplary are with its rolling organ and where the singer drives home the ultimate cliche of "I was just doing my job/Working overtime," convincing listeners of wrongfully being accused of cheating on his better half. Singing at the top of his register unintentionally added to 's well-timed delivery and was perfected for 's closing track Not a dry eye in the house as 's seemingly guilty conscious ("What am I doing here/With another man's wife/I'm shaking in fear/But I'm having the time of my life/I'm a fool/To put myself in jeopardy/But I can't help myself/She makes sweet love to me") makes for an adultery song which holds up with the likes of 's has its own surprises, for instance in the minor R&B chart success of Initially coming on too joyfully honest for its own good, its credibility easily supersedes As ballads like the unfairly overlooked first single stand out, the albums best song remains the driving The only song not written by and his gang, it paved the way for 's tougher approach where the former Chicago bluesman would let it loose on his harmonica. His reading of gave the author and superstar he was often compared to a run for his money. Like miming the song to in one of the television series' episodes, did have the last laugh as "getting stuck in Chicago" would lead to his biggest hit. ~ Quint Kik