VA - Popcorn's Detroit Soul Party (1995) [Reissue 2002]

It's difficult to review a compilation of this magnitude. Here is some of the most exciting soul music ever released out of Detroit, with a one-man nucleus: Richard "Popcorn" Wylie. Here are 25 tracks culled from Popcorn's own vault: he either performed in some fashion or produced or wrote virtually everything here. While many of the names on this set will not be familiar to those who collect Motown compilations, for the soul connoisseur there is much to be thankful for on this perfectly selected amalgam of smooth, exciting, young, and brave soul music, from the classic singles by Tony Hester such as "Spaceland" and "Down in the Dumps" to Luther Ingram's "It's All the Same to You Babe" to the Popcorn Orchestra's own "Going to a Happening" and "Saving All My Lovin' for You." But in addition to these more well-known examples from the Popcorn legacy, there is so much more, like an alternate take of Jimmy "Soul" Clarke's "Sweet Dreams" and Columbus Mann's nearly funky "Let the Sun Shine in Your Window" that bridged Detroit's northern sound and that of Stax/Volt in Memphis with its raw vocals, stylized drums, and shimmering chorus work. Popcorn's own tunes, while not the best things here, are certainly more interesting and fun than a ton of the more well-established artists who were appearing on the radio regularly. This is a legacy, a chapter in the history of the music that has been pretty much overlooked up until now.