Smoke - Risin' (Soul)

A1. I Can Feel Your Love

 A2. I'm So Glad You Came Along

 A3. Rainy Night

 A4. Cream Of The Crop

 A5. I'm So Lonely

 B1. Have I Really Love You

 B2. Now You're Gone

 B3. You Will Always Be A Part Of Me

 B4. Don't Take Your Love

 B5. Make Believe

The strength for me in the recording is the diversity of sounds on offer. There is ‘I’m so glad’ with a captivating two-step arrangement and vocal reminiscent of Leroy Hutson, the lead also giving the more bouncy ‘You will always’ a commercial edge. Then we have a glorious falsetto with incredible clarity exhibited on ‘Now you’re gone’ and ‘Don’t take your love’. And we also have a tenor with a gruff edge that the Ebonys would have enjoyed. He drains every strand of his vocal chords with his expressive charge in the sombre, organ-lead ‘I’m so lonely’, an 8 minute opus, and the similarly toned ‘Make believe’, with some mighty fine harmonies. Also special mention to ‘Have I really lost you’ as possibly the best vocal showcase for the group.