Clyde McPhatter: The Forgotten Angel

With one of the most distinctive voices in classic R&B, a high tenor capable of soaring and grabbing in the same song, Clyde McPhatter was a hard act to follow, both as a member of the Drifters and as a solo artist. It's ironic, then, that McPhatter is now lesser known than his successors in both capacities. Today, the Drifters is a group best known for the period during which Ben E. King provided lead vocals, and the singers who took inspiration from McPhatter—Jackie Wilson and Smokey Robinson among them—have long surpassed him in fame. However corny it might be, The Forgotten Angel, serves as an appropriate title for this new compilation of McPhatter's work. A two-disc retrospective compiled in part by another singer inspired by McPhatter, Aaron Neville, The Forgotten Angel covers McPhatter's best years after stepping down as the longtime frontman for the Dominoes, both as a Drifter and alone. In the former capacity, McPhatter fronted a tougher version of the Drifters than King. A grinding R&B beat backs McPhatter on "Warm Your Heart," while his soulful voice makes the song as beautiful as it is rough. In 1955, McPhatter embarked on a solo career after enlisting in the army, a move that resulted in a steady, if commercially less impressive, succession of hits. While his later work mellowed somewhat, albeit in the best way possible, the early solo singles like "Seven Days" and especially "Without Love (There Is Nothing)," contain all the potential that would find expression in the soul music of the '60s. It's this decade that would find McPhatter in decline, jumping from Atlantic to MGM to Mercury to a succession of smaller labels before descending into the depression and alcoholism that killed him at the age of 39. Perhaps wisely, The Forgotten Angel barely touches this period of McPhatter's career, concentrating instead on the work of his prime, beautiful material that deserves to be remembered for a long time.