Jackie Edwards - I Feel so Bad (2006)

In the annals of 1960s Jamaican music, Jackie Edwards was something of an anomaly. Like so many Jamaicans, he recorded for Island Records, and was based in Britain. In truth, however, his music was often far closer to soul than reggae or ska, though a little bit of influence from those forms could be detected even when he went in a decidedly soul direction. It was also his lot to be more known to history as the man who wrote the Spencer Davis Group's early hits than as a recording artist, though he did cut quite a few discs in the '60s. The documentation on this 22-track collection isn't as thorough as it could be, but it seems that all of it was done between 1965-1968 save for one 1971 song. And though none of them were hits, it proves Edwards to be a fine soul singer in his own right. He's also distinguished from much of his competition by his strong songwriting skills (most of the material here is his own) and a certain British soul-pop touch to the occasionally orchestrated production -- usually by Chris Blackwell and Spencer Davis Group/Rolling Stones/Traffic producer Jimmy Miller, working together and separately -- that helped differentiate it from much American soul product of the time. Setting it aside from much U.S. soul, too, were some slight ska accents that lent his arrangements, delivery, and compositions a certain light romantic sweetness entirely different from that heard on records by Motown or Philadelphia soulsters. There are lots of fine tracks here that are little known to either reggae or soul fans, including his own versions of "Keep on Running" and "Somebody Help Me," which were chart-topping U.K. hits for the Spencer Davis Group (though it doesn't have his versions of two Spencer Davis songs on which he was the co-writer, "When I Get Home" and "Back into My Life Again"). Also dig his stomping rendition of "L-O-V-E," perhaps known more to British Invasion collectors as recorded by the British soul-rock group Simon Dupree & the Big Sound. Edwards recorded more material than what's here, of course, not all of it as soul-oriented. But it's a fine summation of the most accessible soul-slanted sides by this undervalued artist.

Tracklist:
1 01. Jackie Edwards - I Feel so Bad (02:04)
1 02. Jackie Edwards - Come On Home (02:38)
1 03. Jackie Edwards - Come Back Girl (03:17)
1 04. Jackie Edwards - Tell Me What It's All About (02:21)
1 05. Jackie Edwards - If This Is Heaven (03:11)
1 06. Jackie Edwards - Baby I Want to Be Near You (02:15)
1 07. Jackie Edwards - I Don't Know (03:14)
1 08. Jackie Edwards - In a Dream (02:36)
1 09. Jackie Edwards - How Can You Hang On to a Dream (02:36)
1 10. Jackie Edwards - Put Your Tears Away (02:35)
1 11. Jackie Edwards - Tell Me Right Now (03:17)
1 12. Jackie Edwards;The Velvets - Do You Want Me (02:26)
1 13. Jackie Edwards - I Don't Want to Be Made a Fool Of (02:14)
1 14. Jackie Edwards - Summertime (02:15)
1 15. Jackie Edwards - Hush (02:20)
1 16. Jackie Edwards - Keep On Running (02:35)
1 17. Jackie Edwards - Somebody Help Me (02:39)
1 18. Jackie & Millie - Ooh, Ooh (02:51)
1 19. Jackie Edwards - Oh Mary (02:21)
1 20. Jackie Edwards - My Love and I (02:42)
1 21. Jackie Edwards - L-O-V-E (Love) (02:43)
1 22. Jackie Edwards - I Must Go Back (03:25)