Send My Baby Back Freddie Hughes

£11.50

Genre:
60s Soul
Label:
Kent
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDKEND 337

One of the best performances on Freddie Hughes’ 1968 album “Send My Baby Back” – the first legitimate reissue of which is now available on Kent – is a song entitled ‘Natural Man’. It is Aretha’s classic reworked from a male perspective, but the tune’s title pretty much sums up Hughes’ abilities and his incredible voice. Though he came from a church background that many soul singers share, Freddie’s gift was one hundred per cent his own, an untutored and breathtaking instrument, with a flexibility and range that makes him completely distinctive. When married to the compelling arrangements of producer Lonnie Hewitt, it’s a match made in 1960s soul heaven.

Let’s get one thing straight right away. Our Freddie is NOT the same artist that sang ‘Oo Wee Baby’, or recorded for Vee-Jay or Brunswick. With all due respect to that fellow, he couldn’t hope to scale vocal heights such as those represented on this disc. The lingering fondness for Freddie’s best-known number, the charming and completely soulful mid-tempo ballad ‘Send My Baby Back’ means that many believe it to have been a bigger hit than it actually was (#20 on Billboard R&B in July 1968). Freddie’s artistry is clearly on display on every track of this classy longplayer and if I had to choose a favourite song, by a narrow margin it would have to be the Bacharach-ish lilt of ‘He’s No Good’, a guaranteed heartbreaker any way you slice it.

Adding bonus tracks to the album’s rather brief running time was easy in theory, not so in practice. Freddie’s background with San Francisco duos: the Impression-istic Soul Brothers with Ken Pleasants, the storming, searing Casanova II with Wylie Trass, was familiar enough, but the rights to certain cuts were in flux. Just a couple of years ago, there was a breakthrough, which came along with the exciting discovery of several unissued songs from the Soul Brothers. These superlative items, derived from Freddie’s first prolonged period in the studio at Music City of Berkeley, include early arrangements of tunes recorded later, as well as the unknown – and fabulous – ‘She’s Coming Back’ and ‘Station L-O-V-E’. All this additional material gives us not just an intimate glimpse of Freddie’s evolution as an artist in the San Francisco Bay Area, but is some damn fine soul music in its own right.

by Alec Palao

Share

Track listing

Show

Side 1

Delivery & Returns

Show

We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Customer reviews

Show

Customers who bought this item also bought