Bobby Byrd

February 8 - 15, 1 9 9 6

***Bobby Byrd

BOBBY BYRD GOT SOUL: BEST OF BOBBY BYRD

(Polydor)

During the '60s, James Brown cut paychecks for Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, and Bootsy Collins, all of whom are thriving today. One important member of his supporting cast, somewhat forgotten over the years, was another singer from Georgia. Bobby Byrd, with a voice deeper than Brown's, sang several duets with the Godfather; he also borrowed Brown's band -- the J.B.'s -- for a handful of minor R&B hits.

There's nothing on this release newer than 1972. Mostly we get the peak years of the J.B.'s -- twisting horns over crisp guitar lines and a tight rhythm section. The players include Maceo, Bootsy, Fred Wesley, Jabo Starks, and Brown on organ. Byrd shows that being Soul Brother No. One and a Half, as Wesley described him, wasn't too shabby. At his best, he's a funky Otis Redding, with less range but a similar crunch. And Brown helps too. The best cuts -- "Never Get Enough," "I Know You Got Soul," and "Hang Ups We Don't Need" -- sizzle, Brown urging Byrd on with shouts of "Sing it" and "Get up." When Byrd sings "I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone)," he's not kidding.

-- Geoff Edgers