James Reese & The Progressions - Wait For Me [2CD Set] (2019)

A fantastic lost legacy of soul from the South Carolina scene at the end of the 60s – the first-ever full length release of material by James Reese & The Progressions – a fantastic package that brings together all their rare material issued on funky 45s back in the day! Reese was a one-man powerhouse – a trombonist, bandleader, and socking soul genius when it came to the kind of tunes that really broke best on a 45 – tight funky numbers that have his local group riffing and grooving like the best work of the James Brown Band during their late King Records years – but also opening up to some other styles too, which includes a few mellower ballads that come off surprisingly well, and a few jazzier cuts – which really balance out the set with the fullness of an album. The package features both vocal and instrumental tracks, originally done for the tiny Najma label in Spartanburg, South Carolina – and titles include "It's Got Soul", "The Mess", "Wait For Me", "Let's Go", "Jody's Freeze", "One Girl", "It's Not So Much Love Can Do", "He'll Never Go", "Joker Where Did You Come From", and "Throwing Stones (Kenny Dope mix)". 2CD version features a bonus disc of 15 more tracks – unusual takes and alternates of the other recordings!