Of
Claus Ogerman
's four mod albums for
Victor
,
Soul Searchin'
is a favorite for many because the theme, and certainly the tunes, are hip. As
Ogerman
's liner notes explain, he ranks soul third in significance after pop and jazz. In any case,
does a competent job covering all these songs; the title track (an
Ogerman original
) can be called funky, even. A large factor is
Dick Hyman
's Lowrey organ; his facility with both jazz and soul is in full evidence here.
"The End of the Line"
was a hit for
Vinnie Bell
, but the greater significance is that it was written by
Pat Williams
and
Phil Ramone
. The
albums on
share a great deal with the mod albums on
Verve
by
Williams
Kai Winding
, and others. Veering away from pop and toward soul-jazz,
has a peppy jazz-boogaloo beat that feels neither constrained nor ponderous. The surprise is that it works. ~ Tony Wilds