Reuben Bell - Leave My Kitten Alone / All The Time FLAC album

Excellent southern soul from Shreveport native Reuben Bell, who was a local success in the Louisiana area in the seventies but died a poor man in 2004. "Leave My Kitten Alone" is a funky, midtempo version of Little Willie John's 1959 hit with down-home production that probably blasted out of the speakers of many a sweaty jukejoint back in 1973. As good as the A-side is, you should really check out the flipside which is without doubt one of the great deep soul recordings of the 70s, masterfully arranged by Allen Orange. Reuben Bell delivers this tale of a lonely man clinging desperately to his love with disarming sincerity but keeps in control throughout, going from a spoken intro to wailing emotion without overdoing it for a single moment. And the musicians are able to build a song in a subtle but effective way too. I have to say i've never been a big fan of string-ladden productions but on this recording when the violins set in during the last third of the song, they send me down to my knees...