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While other artists had crossover hits, selling records to white buyers, it is amazing that any station — black or white — would touch some of Andre Williams’ records. Included with this release is a pamphlet ‘The true Story of Andre William in his Own Words’, Andre details the high living and womanising that he enjoyed so much before it all went crack-shaped in the eighties and he ended up down and out. He also tells how some of his records only got released because he persuaded the labels that they were biblically sourced parables to warn the young against lewd behaviour!

Tracks like ‘Jail Bait’, ‘Humpin’ Bumpin’ and Thumpin” are pretty self explanatory, while soul food references provide pretty thin veils for more of the same. When he says on ‘Chicken Thighs’, that he likes to eat from the thigh, any pretence that he is talking about food is somewhat undermined by the orgasmic moaning going on behind him.

This is grown up music for grown up audiences. It is a fact that while white American audiences segmented their popular music by age, black audiences and tastes were far less puritanically segmented and there really was no such thing as teen music. Artists like Andre had popularity in their day selling what were called ‘race records’ and then seem to have disappeared from the history of popular music, or at least they would have if pesky little labels like Vampi Soul from Madrid didn’t insist on resurrecting these gems.

My advice is to get this record and a bucket of greasy chicken, lock the door, put the phone off the hook and spend the evening grinding away with your baby.