Search - Bobby Hebb :: Sunny

The price tag too high not to have included bonus material

T. A. Shepherd | Palmdale, Ca. 93550 | 08/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bobby Hebb enjoyed about four months of fame during the summer and fall of 1966 with two singles "Sunny" and "A Satisfied Mind". Sunny caused quite a stir on our local L.A. radio stations with its soulful arrangement and Hebb's deft vocals, but it was the follow-up (Satisfied Mind) that revealed his sensitive folk side possibly based on an early encounter with Richie Havens. The latter song had been popularised in the mid-fifties by a few country and folk singers including Mahalia Jackson. These two singles are part of the framework of this fabulous album. Within the half-hour or so program is an excellent reading of The Blossoms' hit, Good Good Lovin' and the bluesy Got You On My Mind with some righteous guitar work. Bread is a zany tune which was also the backside of Sunny. The Motownesque Love, Love, Love is a contageous song which ended up as the B-side of A Satisfied Mind. You Don't Know What You've Got is a firm R&B song if there ever was one. From what I can tell, these are mostly Hebb's compositions and they reveal that he had a keen sense for lyric and melody. Being a Japanese import though, many will find the price tag too high not to have included bonus material. Bobby's third single, Love Me, returned to the same feel that Sunny had, right down to the drum roll intro. He had hoped this would reclaim the same chart success, but unfortunately that sameness was a bit overstated and the artists dropped out of sight. Despite that fact, the song should have been added as well as maybe some outtakes or even some live performances. Forget about digging too deep in the pocket book for this and order the disc from Hip-O Select for about 2/3 the price. Again, this version has no bonus tracks either, but for under 20 bucks, it beats these Japanese prices! I only wish we Americans liked our own music as much as our friends overseas."