The Ovations feat. Louis Williams - One In A Million (2008)

The Ovations might be most respected among serious soul fans for the recordings they made for the Goldwax label, many of which are available on a different Kent CD compilation, Goldwax Recordings. They actually had their biggest chart success, however, in the 1970s, an era covered by the 21 tracks on this anthology. Drawn from tracks they released on the Sounds of Memphis, MGM, Chess, and XL labels, as well as some previously unissued cuts, it includes their 1972 Top 20 R&B hit "Touching Me," and their Top Ten R&B charter from the following year, "Having a Party." As on their previous recordings, what's most striking about these is the incredible resemblance of Louis Williams' lead vocals to those of Sam Cooke, not only in the vocal tone, but also in the phrasing and mannerisms. That can be a mixed blessing, as Williams too often sounds like he's trying to make the similarity deliberate, even if he's about as capable a Cooke soundalike as there ever was. If covering Cooke himself with "Having a Party" seemed to be taking things too far, the public didn't seem to think so, giving the Ovations their biggest hit. While the other songs on this collection aren't as outstanding tune-wise as "Having a Party," most of them are serviceable vehicles for Williams and his backup singers to do the sub-Cooke thing, with solid production that's not down-home Southern, but not overly sweet either.