Clarence Reid

• Dancin' With Nobody But You Babe [Atlantic, 1969] B
• Running Water [Alston, 1973] B
• On the Job [Alston, 1976] B

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Dancin' With Nobody But You Babe [Atlantic, 1969]
A sleeper for anyone with a taste for Deep South soul, with a convincing version of "Get Back," some pleasant if predictable standards, and a good helping of catchy originals. Nice and solid. B

Running Water [Alston, 1973]
This veteran writer-producer has his soul in the right place--Miami, as far south as he can get it. And though he's a/k/a Blow Fly, purveyor of parody porn, the true Reid is as unyielding a moralist as Porter Wagoner or Ernest Tubb. He cheats a lot, just like his daddy, but he also pays--in one song, his "real woman" goes off to find "a real man," while in another she simply kills herself and is he sorry. The only drawback is that Reid is a writer-producer for a reason--vocals. B

On the Job [Alston, 1976]
Reid's strongest LP to date isn't quite strong enough. Except for "Sleep With Me," which peaks with its title, the second side works various imaginative Southern-soul grooves, climaxing with "Nappy-Haired Cowboy" (who's shot down by Reid, the nappy-haired sheriff). And it's too bad Wilson Pickett isn't singing "Come On With It" or "Baptize Me." But he's not. B