Julian, Don and The Larks "Super Slick" [Blue Vinyl]

One of the holy grails of '70s soul-funk collectors finally gets a proper reissue. In 1973, Don Julian and the Larks recorded the soundtrack for a blacksploitation film called Shorty The Pimp. While the film seems to have disappeared (supposedly Quentin Tarantino has the only copy), the Larks eventually re-recoded 7 of the songs from that project for their 1974 album Super Slick, reissued here for the first time. With it's blend of Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone'-era Temptations, and '70s sweet soul (e. g a cover of David Gates & Bread's 'Make It with You'), Super Slick wears its influences very much on its sleeve while transcending them with soaring, falsetto-filigreed harmonies, percolating bass, and note-perfect arrangements.