My Thing

The smooth voices of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman ring true on ten hit and miss sides. The misses are the filler that comprise half the ten songs; they aren't irritating or ingratiating, just bland tunes with apathetic arrangements. Every artist at All Platinum/Stang Records must have recorded "My Thing"; there are versions by Sylvia, the Whatnauts, and the Moments, at the very least. The song is all right, but did it merit the countless remakes? It flopped as a single, but the flip "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" is much better — a sad ballad sung in clear falsetto by Billy Brown. Surprisingly, it gets omitted from the many Moments compilation CDs, though it's one compelling number. Harry Ray's reading of "Baby I'm a-Want You" is magical, his light falsetto sparkling on David Gates' classic. Complete with airport ambience, "I Gotta Find a Way" is a charmer; Harry waits and contemplates at the airport about getting his baby back as a female announcer announces flights over a loudspeaker. I like the close, syncopated harmonies on "Look What You've Done," another tasty ballad. Eight of the ten songs are ballads except for "My Thing" and the twee-sounding "Life and Breath."