James Govan - I'm In Need

  When Kent records recently gathered 16 tracks recorded by James Govan in Fame Studios in the 60s for a CD release, "Wanted: The Fame Recordings," it turned some R&B/Soul lovers heads around.  When King Cake posted that CD here a while back, it also turned some heads around on this blog.  Here is a great soul singer in the grand tradition who somehow never got the breaks or recognition that he deserved.

Well, I have a little secret for y'all.  Those Fame recordings, as good as they are, are not James Govan's best recordings.  Here they are.  In 1982, David Johnson brought James Govan to Broadway Sound Studios in Sheffield, Alabama, also bringing in top musicians from Muscle Shoals and carefully choosing a fine group of songs that completely showcase Govan's talents.  Unfortunately, classic Southern Soul was no longer a commercially viable commodity by 1982.  The DJs wouldn't even spin the 45s.  David Johnson gave it up quickly.  He never even released a Govan album.  This disc of Broadway Sound material, "I'm in Need," was only gathered together by Charly Records (as a bootleg) in the UK in the 1990s.  These tracks were again released on a great CD a while back, "The Broadway Sound Sessions," together with a good album by Sandra Wright.  This CD went out of print very fast, however.

What can I say about the music here?   Those who know and love the Fame Studios disc will still be astonished.   James Govan's vocal artistry improved by the 1980s, in fact substantially improved.   In my view, this is soul singing of the highest order, good enough to put Mr. Govan in the Pantheon along with the greats.   His vocal timbers deepened markedly between the 60s and 80s, and James Govan DELIVERS these songs in a deeper way than he did before.


Enjoy - and let's keep this place alive.