I feel like I’ve vaguely heard of The Capitols from time to time, especially due to their being from Detroit. The group were a r&b and soul trio, with just drums, a keyboard, a guitar, plus some vocals. They had somewhat of a hit tune from this album, “Cool Jerk”, which has been covered by bands and featured on soundtracks of multiple movies, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. This seems like it ought to be an interesting listen, so with that said I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“Cool Jerk” starts out with some extremely tasty bass notes in the bass guitar and piano, and the piano picks up with tasty high notes that really take the jam out there in a bit of a bluesy manner. The clapping really has a nice upbeat feel to it, which keeps a really steady feel in the tune. Oh wow, the little piano jam was super tasty. This sort of reminds me a bit of The Coasters.
“My Girl” has a super mellow bass intro to this nearly instantly recognizable tune. That guitar work has such a simple and tasty line, meanwhile the bass keeps the song gently bopping forward with the drums while the vocals create a nice pop-infused r&b chorus. Oh wow, those horns give the tune a really nice soulful feeling. Really pleasant tune.
“I Got My Mojo Working” has a really tasty high energy bluesy and rollicking feel to it. I’m pretty sure I heard a version of this tune by The Shadows of Knight recently, and this one is definitely different. There’s a bit more of an r&b feel than straight up Chicago blues, though that flavor profile is still there. I really dig those horns seemingly bouncing back and forth with the bass. Holy smokes, this guitar line is super tasty. The tone sounds like something out of some early surf rock. The vocals really get guttural too, really making this a flavorful track.
“Please Please Please” has a great loving feeling with the delicate piano lines and the tasty bass and guitar riffs. Oh wow, those horns really add a lot of depth to the soundscape. The vocals hit some super tasty high notes in this one. Oh wow, I really dig the little accentuations in the guitar work, plus the guitar has some really tasty tone that sounds like a classic mid 60s electric blues guitar tone. Really nice tune.
“In the Midnight Hour” is a classic tune by Wilson Pickett, and The Capitols really give it their own flavor in this one. The piano rollicks around gently in the background with the clapping keeping the most directly audible form of percussion on top, as the drums and bass are having a bit of a groovy little jam on the opposite side of the soundscape. Nice cover of a great tune.
As a Deadhead, “Good Lovin'” is a tune I’m quite familiar with, regardless of who performs it. I really dig the hammond organ in this one, swirling the tune around on the left, while the horns come from the right and bounce off the bass nicely. Holy smokes, this guitar is sweet. This tune is awesome – it reminds me so much of the early days of the Dead with a different flavor. I know it’s not a Grateful Dead original, but it’s a darned good song no matter who plays it. Great tune.
“Love Makes the World Go ‘Round” starts out with a really sweet r&b bass line that’s complemented by some snapping on the opposite side of the soundscape. Oh wow, the piano hits some super tasty notes and the vocals hit some awesome soft falsetto notes. The guitar has a super patient feel to it in this one. The horns play off the rhythm section really nicely again in this one. Oh wow, this one really grooves to some great r&b feels at the end. Really nice tune.
“Zig Zaggin” starts out with some super interesting conga that really get the high energy in the studio up as this song begins to take form in an almost celebratory call and response sort of fashion. I really dig this groovy little jam piece. The background chorus vocals have such a smooth and sweet sound to them, bringing an almost polished sound to this nice tune.
“Dog & Cat” has a really interesting sound to it – there’s almost a little bit of Latin flair with the congas and the horns, but the tune starts melding into a bit more of r&b sort of pop tune. Oh wow, the energy is absolutely infectious. Those rollicking piano lines are super tasty. Holy smokes, I don’t know who this female vocalist is, but the flavor she brings is absolutely awesome. Really sweet track.
“Hello Stranger” starts out with some super tasty swirling organs on the left side of the soundscape, with gentle staccato’d notes from a guitar that create a great percussive accentuation to the drums while the horns gently come in with some chorus vocals on the opposite side of the soundscape. Really sweet r&b tune.
“Tired Running From You” has a bit more of that Latin flair, almost reminding me a little bit of some Santana. Holy smokes, the flavor in this one is immense between the background vocals and piano all coming together at the same time to get down to some super tasty grooves. Those bopping piano lines are super great, and the vocals have some great flavor to them too. Great tune.
“Kick” sounds like an original dance instruction song in the form of a bit on classic rock and roll based r&b tune. Holy smokes, that piano really has some great flavor as it sits inside the rhythm section on the left and the horns on the right. This tune keeps on going until the very last second as the album fades away. Really tasty tune to end with.
I’m glad I finally checked out The Capitols. This album had a bunch of great flavors from the mid 60s era of r&b, and contained some really sweet elements of some Latin music with the style of play at some times, which mixed together quite well with the rest of the album. If you enjoy r&b and soul, you might want to consider giving this one a listen. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A