2022 repress. Be With Records present a reissue of Willie Hutch’s Soul Portrait, originally released in 1969. Soul Portrait is a slice of Southern-fried soul, a blend of beat ballads and dancers. Increasingly rare, this reissue is most welcome and showcases the early work of a soul legend. Officially licensed and remastered by Simon Francis, it’s pressed on 180 gram vinyl for the first time and features the original artwork and liner notes. A monumental force firmly rooted in the soul canon, Willie Hutch is most notable for recording two of the best Blaxploitation soundtracks, The Mack (1973) and Foxy Brown (1984). Yet his legacy is much greater. Outside of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson, Hutch was arguably Motown’s top male solo artist of the ’70s. Prior to his association with Gordy et al, Hutch crafted his opening statements for RCA, two vital LPs. His debut, Soul Portrait (1969), is an incredible slice of gritty, Southern-fried soul. Think Stax with a touch of Detroit sparkle. As a whole, the album demonstrates the self-contained act Hutch was; he wrote every tune on the album while also arranging and conducting for it. The album’s centerpiece is undoubtedly the iconic, brooding minor-key masterpiece “A Love That’s Worth Having”. The album’s most recognizable track, it’s a towering ballad drenched in stylish, sliding horns, and elevated by its stunning backing vocalists. It was famously sampled by Madlib to augment his soundtrack for Stones Throw’s Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton (2013) as well as 9th Wonder for the Murs classic “Dreamchaser”. Horn-heavy opener “Ain’t Gonna Stop” is a funk-fueled monster, Hutch’s fatback vocal aided by a vicious drum ‘n’ conga rhythm whilst the bumping uptown soul of “You Can’t Miss Something That You Never Had” anticipates the Motown-vibe that Hutch went on to create. Supple guitar licks propel the loping, head-nod breaks of “Good To The Last Drop” whilst “That’s What I Call Lovin’ You” features gospel piano and plaintive, tender vocal turn. The blazing horns of “You Gotta Try” hints at the Blaxploitation that was to come. The thundering proto-70s-Motown rhythm of “Let Me Give You The Love You Need” segues neatly into the bouncing Northern soul favorite “Lucky To Be Loved By You” whilst Hutch’s gutbucket guitar stylings are all over the smoldering “Keep On Doin’ What You Do”. “Your Love Keeps Liftin’ Me Higher” is not a rendition of the Jackie Wilson classic; rather, it’s a powerhouse original that indicates where Hutch would take his sound on The Mack. Closing the album, the anthemic “Do What You Wanna Do” name-checks contemporary dance fads before instructing the listener to just get up and dance. Brilliantly supported by a heavy roster of studio cats who combined to create a winning combination of horns, strings, and gorgeous female background vocalists, Soul Portrait is as complete a soul album as the decade’s very best.
Willie Hutch – Soul Portrait LP Be With Records (UK)
$ 32,98 Original price was: $ 32,98.$ 19,79Current price is: $ 19,79.
Fast Shipping and Professional Packing
We offer a broad range of shipping options due to our long-running partnerships with UPS, FedEx and DHL. Our warehouse employees will pack all goods to our exacting requirements. Your items are carefully inspected and secured properly prior to shipping. We ship to thousands of customers every day from all over the world. This demonstrates our dedication to becoming the largest online retailer in the world. Warehouses and distribution centres can be located in Europe as well as the USA.
Note: Orders that contain more than one item will be assigned a processing date depending on the item.
We will carefully examine all items before sending. Today, the majority of orders will be shipped within 48 hours. The expected delivery time will be between 3 and 7 days.
Returns
Stock is dynamic. It's not completely managed by us, since we have multiple entities, including the factory and the storage. The actual inventory can fluctuate at any time. It is possible that the stocks could be depleted after your order has been processed.
Our policy lasts 30 days. If you haven't received the product within 30 days, we're not able to issue a refund or an exchange.
To be eligible for a refund the product must be unopened and in the same state as when you received it. The item must be returned in its original packaging.
Related products
Vinyl
Acid Mothers Temple & Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part 1 LP Important Records
Vinyl