Bobby Sheen
was a journeyman R&B singer who had some impressive credentials but never broke through to stardom; he sang with
Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
, whose
Phil Spector
-produced version of
"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"
was a hit, and he was a touring member of
the Robins
and
the Coasters
. But
Sheen
also cut a handful of singles as a solo act, three of which were released by
Warner Bros.
in 1972 and 1973. None of them were hits, and neither was a fourth single released by
Chelsea Records
in 1975, but
(who passed away in 2000) has earned a cult following among British soul collectors, and
Too Many to Fight
collects 17 tracks he recorded in the '70s for producers
Clayton Ivey
Terry Woodford
. The eight tunes from
's solo singles are all included here, as well as seven previously unreleased selections, and this material is dominated by
's strong, personable vocal style.
tended to favor songs in which he was either the put-upon suitor (falling victim to a cheating woman or a gal who figures she can do better) or the loyal lover man, and he had the sort of quietly emphatic vocal style that worked well for either approach. The work of producers
Ivey
Woodford
doesn't fare quite as well; while they were based out of Muscle Shoals, AL, their sides lack the grit and passion of the better-known studio and production houses that worked out of the same town, and their polished but unremarkable backings didn't always give
the support he needed. But tunes like
"It Ain't Easy Being Your Fool,"
"I May Not Be What You Want,"
"She Hit Me from the Blind Side"
show
was a talent who deserved wider recognition for his solo work, and
has more than enough memorable songs to be worth a spin for fans of classic soul. ~ Mark Deming