It's Over: 70s Songwriter Demos & Masters

Liner Note Author: Sean Hampsey.
Sam Dees had a run as a singer but he was primarily a songwriter, so it's little surprise that he has a wealth of unheard demos in his vaults. Ace's Kent imprint has collected some of these recordings before -- and they also did an excellent songwriters comp called One in a Million, which featured other artists playing his songs -- but their 2015 set, It's Over: 70s Songwriter Demos & Masters, digs very deep, with compiler Sean Hampsey finding 13 previously unheard tracks from the early '70s. Many of these are well within Dees' signature quiet storm slow burn and they're all nicely executed -- sleek, elegant, and sexy, benefitting from their smaller scale. As nice as these slow groovers are, the songs that leap out from the pack are the ones that break the mold: the Spinners-styled bounce of "I'm Your Biggest Fan," the funky blues of "Singing in Poverty," and the chintzy synths on "We've Got to Get It Together." These are the hooks that draw the listener into the rest of the smoldering collection of strong, sturdy soul, music that bears the mark of a craftsman who is proud of his work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine