Syl Johnson – Total Explosion

If there’s one thing you need to know about R&B/Soul music, it’s that certain artists have innate abilities to illicit a particular response from listeners. I wouldn’t necessarily call finding said artists a skill, but if you know what you’re doing, playing the right album at the right time can work wonders for you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Syl Johnson makes girls’ panties drop. Yeah, I know how annoying it is now that everyone’s dropping his name since his career was brought back into the mainstream by the recent Numero Group box set (which is great, but do we really need that much Syl Johnson!?)…but he had an entire career beyond the Twinight label! He recorded for Hi Records (Al Green’s label) and though he softened up a bit in the mid/late ’70s, most of those lesser-than albums still include at least one or two killer cuts. And, like I said, if you play the right jams at the right time in the company of a woman she’s going to drop her pants for you.

If you don’t want to heart it from me, listen to from Robert Christgau, who gave Total Explosion the highest grade of all Johnson’s Hi, Boardwalk and Delmark releases post-1973. Christgau wrote of Total Explosion, “Johnson has tended to disappear between Willie Mitchel and Al Green, but on this LP he takes his harmonica up to the microphone and stands clear as a lapsed bluesman. Good move. His voice is still shriller, and more strained than Green’s, but that can be a satisfying distinction in the right context. A comparison of his unexceptionably dynamic rendition of “Take Me To The River” to Green’s sublime original, however, renews one’s understanding of what divine spark might be. Although I wish the folks at Hi would let him sing just one Junior Wells song, say, they’ve done him proud.”

Now get out there and do me proud. Hit up that local bar, dance with a girl or two, and bring one of ‘em back to your place. Spin some Syl. You’ll thank me in the morning. Just make sure you do like Syl and carry your piece, everywhere you go.

Syl Johnson
Total Explosion
Hi Records, 1976
MediaFire DL Link

01. I Only Have Love
02. Bustin’ Up Or Bustin’ Out
03. Star Bright Star Lite
04. Watch What You Do To Me
05. Steppin’ Out
06. Take Me To The River
07. It Ain’t Easy
08. ‘Bout To Make Me Leave Home
09. That’s Just My Luck
10. Come On Home