Search - Jerry Butler :: He Will Break Your Heart

Great artist held back by "whitebread" production

ikaris | Marietta, GA United States | 03/26/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As with many early solo efforts by r&b greats, these freshman and sophomore efforts by the Iceman suffer from a "whitened," less soulful production. "Jerry Butler, Esq." came out in 1959, and was followed by "He Will Break Your Heart" in 1960.In those days, it was common for record labels to attempt a "crossover" into the pop charts by having r&b artists sing supper-club, Sinatra-style songs.....nothing like what was to come with the Gamble & Huff sessions in the late 60s. Here, we have too many of these songs......and they are weighed down by excessive background MOR vocals and strings. In this sense, it is very similar to Marvin Gaye's first album, "The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye."The album cover for "He Will Break Your Heart" is another indication of this philosophy. Like other black artists of the time, Butler is not featured on his own album cover.......and wasn't for several more albums. Other black artists experienced the same thing (Redding, The Isley Brothers). There was a definite fear by some labels to market such records any other way. That was soon to change.......but in 1960, it was still common practice.Despite this, the great Butler's own efforts shine through. There's no question there are some fine moments. "He Will Break Your Heart" is a classic. The great Curtis Mayfield, Butler's pal from his Impressions days, writes a few songs for the second album."He Will Break Your Heart" is the better of the two albums. And Jerry Butler would go on to become one of the greatest figures in r&b/soul history. Plus, as always, the packaging by Collectibles is top-notch (including the original Vee-Jay label design on the CD). The sound is fine. Nevertheless, I would only recommend this CD to hard core soul collectors."