Albert Washington - Blues & Soul Man (1967-1970)

Compilation
Albert Washington was an American R&B singer and guitarist.

Born in Rome, Georgia in 1935, Albert Washington took up music at an early age, learning to play guitar and singing both gospel and blues. He moved with his family to Kentucky as a teenager, and sang in gospel group The Gospelaires before forming his own group, The Washington Singers. He also began to play R&B in nearby Cincinnati, and in the early 60s recorded several solo singles on assorted small record labels. In 1966 he was signed to Fraternity Records, and released a number of singles, many of which featured lead guitar from Lonnie Mack, who was also on the label at the time.

Blues & Soul Man is a compilation of Washinton's late 60s recordings for Fraternity, including the singles. It's some fantastic upbeat, soulful R&B. Includes some very strong originals, plus covers of Otis Redding's "These Arms Of Mine", Wilson Pickett's "If You Need Me", and the traditonal spiritual "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands". Many of the tracks feature Mack's bluesy guitar, though on most of them the nimble guitar work comes courtesy of Washington himself. It's an excellent compilation which showcases this sadly overlooked singer's many talents, and documents well a period when he didn't release any albums but still recorded a large body of quality soul music.

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