When young Barry White started working in a record shop, during his journal studies at the University of Boston, he didn't imagine that was the beginning of music journey that will turn out to be his primary profession. His singing during working hours caught the attention of Peter Greenberg from the band The Lyres who thought that Barry would be an ideal frontman for his rhythm and blues collective. Together with few ex members of The Lyres, the two of them formed a new band and appropriately named it Barrence Whitfield and The Savages.
When the first appeared in the middle of the 80s, they blew Boston scene away with their mixture of garage blues, soul and rock 'n' roll. By the 90s, their momentum slowly diminishes, even though their albums kept on getting better and the band went on to perform with giants such as Bo Diddley, Tina Turner, George Thorogood, Robert Cray and Solomon Burke. In the mid 90s, BW gathered The Savages once again to release a solid Ritual Of The Savages.
Twenty five years later, Barrence meets Peter Greenberg and Phil Lanker, the original savages. They made brilliant Savage Kingsin 2011 and even better Dig Thy Savage Soul in 2013. Under The Savage Sky was dropped in 2015 and confirmed that these fellas are not going to go away anytime soon.
Somewhere between Saturn's moon Titan, who astrologically symbolizes pain and fight, and the darkness of recording studio in Cincinnati, on the waves of independent and classic record labels, such as King and Federal Records, the new record by BW & TS comes as a cosmic and sonic unity. It takes you to different orbits. Soul Flowers of Titan is about people who break down, about departures, breakups, comebacks, flowers, hometowns, losing your mind, drinking coffee and contemplating about Sun-Ra. Barrence's vocal is still on the trace of Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, and Solomon Burke.
The first song Slowly Losing My Mind is a cover of the old champions from Federal label, and besides this one, Willie Wright and The Sparkles sign I'm Gonna Leave You Baby. Pain is a typical rock'n' roll number, while Tall, Black and Bitter delivers full power rockabilly with a killer blues guitar. Let's Go To Mars is probably my favorite because they wrote it after watching a documentary about Sun-Ra.
What an eclectic cauldron of blues, rock, garage and soul!
