David Porter…Into A Real Thing…and more

Title: …Into A Real Thing…and more

Label: Stax

Even some soul fans might not be aware of Porter but he was a respected songwriter. In fact he worked with Isaac Hayes during the 60s. The pair acted as in-house composers for the Stax label and wrote a lot of the songs for Sam & Dave. Familiar ditties such as Soul Man and Hold On! I’m Coming. But that’s not all, the pair also wrote songs for other famous artists such as Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor and the Soul Children. As Hayes blossomed within his own solo career, Porter focused on his own productions.

A lot of this work sneaked under the radar because he released a few singles for Savoy and Hi under pseudonyms such as Little David and Kenny Cain. During the 70s, he penned several albums including Victim of a Joke? which was an ambitious concept piece.

This LP was released in 1970 and includes originally penned songs from Porter himself and his songwriting partner after Hayes, Ronnie Williams. The first song might not be a Porter-penned ditty but it was transformed by him. The standard few minutes of Hang On Sloopy is, here, extended to a mind boggling 11 minutes and seven seconds, changing both mood and tempo. You’ll also find a Chuck Jackson song here, his breakthrough hit, I Don’t Want to Cry.

This album reissue also arrives with three bonus tracks: Come Get From Me (Parts 1 & 2), Gotta Got Over The Hump (the first time that this track has appeared on an Ace release) and Somebody’s Trying To Ride Piggy Back.

A smoky vocal delivery from Porter who offered strength and solidity in his performance as well as bags of swaggering style.