Hacktone Records
2007
South Of The Snooty Fox
About This Album
Sterling Harrison was a journeyman soul singer who cut his first record in 1955 and spent years on the road, playing clubs across the country and frequently opening for bigger names. Eventually, Harrison ended up in Los Angeles, where he sang at hole-in-the-wall bars and soul food joints on the city's south side through most of the '80s and '90s. Harrison cut a handful of records over the years for labels both big and small, most of which didn't indicate he was anything special, but a tiny handful of fans were of the opinion he was the greatest unknown soul singer on Earth, and in 2001 a few of them decided to help Harrison make the album they knew he was capable of. And it turns out those fans were right on the money; produced by Los Lobos saxman Steve Berlin and comedy writer and soul music maven Eddie Gorodetsky, South of the Snooty Fox is a revelation, a thrilling set of raw but accomplished old-school R&B that suggests at the dawn of the 21st century Harrison may have been the finest exponent of the music's classic style alive. While Harrison's voice is remarkable enough -- a strong baritone that could slide into a clear falsetto or a rumbling bass at will -- it was his sense of phrasing and showman's ability to fill a song with energy and sheer belief that really sets him apart, and hearing him strut through a set of lesser-known R&B classics such as "You Left the Water Running," "There's a Rat Loose in My House" and "I'll Take Care of You" with the swagger and spunk of a 20-year-old is enough to turn nearly anyone into a believer.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,6,7 and 10)

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