The Tymes - Trustmaker 1974 [Reissue] (2011)

The Tymes experienced their greatest peak of popularity in 1963 when they topped the charts, with "So Much in Love." But by the mid-'70s they had reinvented themselves from a late-period doo wop group into a Philadelphia soul group. Trustmaker is probably the most popular of their albums from the period, in large part because of the inclusion of the Top 20 track "You Little Trustmaker." This and the rest of the LP found them very much in the mainstream of the mid-'70s Philadelphia soul sound, and if they weren't among the more distinguished practitioners of that art, they were among the more competent ones. Their Top 20 hit "You Little Trustmaker" is by far the most familiar song here, of course, but there are some quality tracks in the period (and sometimes early disco) Philly soul-style elsewhere on the album, though it's quite erratic. In particular, the epic nine-minute "Are You Lookin'" is an overlooked nugget for those who treasure the brief time in the early to mid-'70s when soul branched out into brooding social commentary. The rest of the record was more lightweight in comparison, including "Mr. Grace" (a number one hit in the U.K. though it barely charted in the U.S. pop listings); a steamy romantic ballad in "The Crutch"; and a predictably ill-advised disco update of "So Much in Love."