LAST LISTENED TO a bit last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT ok-ish
RATING
By the middle of the 70s, many a soul star of the previous decade had either stopped recording or adapted to the sounds of funk and disco. Ben E King was no exception to this rule. Other than he did both, but lets not quibble.
After 5 years with no record contract spent in the hell of the oldies circuit, King was re-signed to Atlantic records in '75 and recorded several albums. Straightaway he had a hit single with Supernatural Thing.
It is a smooth piece of '70s soul, much in the style of Al Green (although not quite as smooth). It rolls along at a steady pace, with drumming that sounds very much like Al Jackson, Jr. (drummer for Green and a member of Booker T. & The MGs; also more accurate than a drum machine, apparently). In a similar vein is the guitar and bass, which have something of a Stax sound. The bass rolls along steadily with the drums, whilst two guitar tracks pick and chop their way around this steady rhythm. The rest of the tune is carried by some down-low organ and a some quiet bongos. Finally, on vocals, King is backed with a female group that give some great call and response.
Other than the great, rolling rhythm, the real stand-out feature of the song are the choruses. After the call and response vocals, there are a few short stop and start sections that have a lot of power. Interplanetary! Extraordinary! Beautiful.
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