Soul Portrait

Prior to gaining recognition as a co-writer of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and establishing himself as a valuable songwriter, arranger, and producer at Motown, Willie Hutch released singles on Dunhill and Soul City and wrote for the 5th Dimension. He was also signed to RCA as a solo artist, and Soul Portrait was his debut album, the first of two sets he recorded for the label. Hutch compared his approach here to that of Otis Redding; though there are definite parallels, such as its convincing Southern tint, Hutch's vocals, rough-hewn as they are, tend to roam within the range of sweet and tender to deeply impassioned and emphatic, yet without ever reaching Redding's belting levels à la "Try a Little Tenderness" or "Respect." Backed by an uncredited roster of studio musicians that often involves a rich combination of horns, strings, and female background vocalists — best heard together on the ecstatically reeling "Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me Higher," an original that indicates where Hutch would take his sound on The Mack — Soul Portrait is as complete as any other soul album released in 1969, consistent without obvious high or glaring low points. That lack of a signature song or two likely hindered its progress. Regardless, it deserved to make more of an impact. [The Shout! offshoot of the U.K.-based Cherry Red label issued the album on compact disc for the first time in 2009.]