Review: The Dynamics - First Landing

I want to admit that I don't know very much about the state of R&B; these days. But, if the occasional song I hear on the radio courtesy of my roommate is any indication, then I must say that it's for shite. There is the odd exception such as "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley but, for the most part, R&B; these days hurts my ears. Thusly I was happy to receive First Landing by The Dynamics.

The Dynamics were 4-piece vocal group from Detroit populated by George White, Fred Baker, Zeke Harris, and Samuel Stevenson. They hooked up with Aretha Franklin's husband Ted White who got them onto the Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion and took them to Memphis to record this, their debut effort. "Ice Cream Song" proved to be a minor hit but, after this album, the band disappeared into the miasma that was late-60s. The album was first released in 1969 but has been given new life thanks to the folks at Hacktone Records. They recreated the original release's artwork even to the point of putting the CD in a paper inner sleeve.

"I Don't Want Nobody to Lead Me On" is a strong opener with Zeke Harris' confident vocals holding court. Harris handles the lead on the first five tracks and 8 of the 12 songs in total, though White and Baker get a chance to step up. He does another impassioned take on "Ain't No Love At All" but the song is marred by the melodrama of the strings. I've always been of the mind that strings are anethema to R&B; songs and there's nothing here to change my mind. With a beat oozing funk and punchy horns, why drain the dynamic with syrupy sweet strings? "Ain't No Sun" is a cover of a song by the band's Detroit brethren The Temptations and shows why an army of violins aren't needed to imbue a sense of drama into a song. These guys certainly had the pipes and they use them to great effect halfway in as the song slows down. What was side 1 closes with George White's falsetto on "What Would I Do" which emphasizes the blues in R&B.; White's pleading is just so smooth that it's a great shame that all the soul is drained from the performance by the strings.

Side 2 opens again with White handling the lead vocal chores on "The Love That I Need". There's a great melody here and I can imagine The Rolling Stones having covered this. What they would have done was to give it some more muscle which is lacking here. "Since I Lost You" is Fred Baker's lone contribution at the helm but he makes the most of it. In fact, the music struggles to keep up with his frenetic singing. And that's the general problem with the second half – it's too mellow. Somewhere along the way most of the energy got drained and there is a distinct lack of funk. "Murder in the First Degree" recharges the battery a bit but it's too late as it closes the album.

First Landing is a breath of fresh air in these days when R&B; generally means drums machines and synthesizers. It's not a perfect album but more traditional-minded R&B; fans will be glad this was pulled from the vaults and dusted off.