Heaven Right Here On Earth

The second full-length by the vocal quartet The Natural Four is a sublime slice of sweet, early-‘70s soul distinguished by the clever songwriting and sensitive production work of Curtom Records’ Leroy Hutson. Hutson was a multitalented up-and-comer who'd recently filled Curtis Mayfield’s vacant spot in The Impressions; he was branching out in an attempt to prove himself as a producer and songwriter. Hutson had produced The Natural Four’s self-titled Curtom debut and garnered the group a minor hit with “Can This Be Real," a sly ballad that recalled the best work of local harmony kings The Chi-Lites. Heaven Right Here on Earth didn't duplicate the success of “Can This Be Real,” but it contained a number of songs that were nearly as compelling. Highlights include the sweetly grooving, Hutson-penned ode to teenage infatuation “Love’s So Wonderful" and the irresistibly smooth title track, which boasts a chorus as beguiling as anything ever recorded by more heralded contemporaries like The Delfonics or The Stylistics.