Creative Source - Creative Source (Reissue) (1973)

This smooth-singing quintet faded after four woefully underappreciated albums on Sussex and Polydor Records. The choicest picks from those LPs appear on this veiled best-of collection. Blessed with a sultry female lead and a male that possessed a baritone like Jerry Butler's (only rangier), this Los Angeles-based group was something special. They deliver a peppy, jazzy version of "You Can't Hide Love" that's totally different from Earth, Wind & Fire's. Bill Withers' songs are like magical elixirs to Creative Source. They excel on his mellow "Let Me Into Your Life," where the male lead slides effortlessly from baritone up to falsetto, and the hypnotic "Who Is He and What Is He to You," which flows like Moret for more than 11 minutes; the LP also contains the shorter radio edit. Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" and Skylark's "Wildflower" get classy, designer makeovers. Special kudos to the imaginative arrangements, especially Brad Shapiro's tantalizing horn charts.