Dee Clark

Dee Clark's third album is a fine collection of 11 songs, some strong originals like the infectious "Kangaroo Hop" and "Gloria" interspersed with covers of standards by Jimmy Reed ("Baby What Do You Want Me to Do"), Ray Charles ("What I Say"), etc. The overall sound is a mix of R&B ballads -- some of them, such as "I Just Can't Help Myself," displaying '50s doo wop elements -- alternating with hard-rocking rhythm numbers, drawn from various sessions and some earlier single releases. As a balladeer, Clark sounded uncannily like a young Clyde McPhatter, while his harder songs probe a distinctly tougher side to that same voice, and both sides work well in the context of this album. The 2006 Japanese reissue offers the album remastered in state-of-the-art digital audio and adds five additional songs, all drawn from previous single releases and all worthwhile -- the Bo Diddley beat-driven "Hey Little Girl" and the hauntingly beautiful "Raindrops" are sort of givens in terms of their appeal, but "Nobody But You" is practically worth the price of admission by itself, a midtempo lyrical R&B ballad that might be the best Clyde McPhatter-style record that McPhatter never appeared on. All of this extra material only enhances the value of the original release, and if anything, the bonus tracks sound better than the material from the original album, and that's pretty impressive. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide