No Emotion Untouched

The Emotions: Blind Alley and If You Think It
From: Untouched [Volt/Stax, 1971]

I. Love. Breaks.

Ok, while you're still reeling from that shocking news let me expand a little. I love breaks partly because when they work on a rap record there's very little that's as rewarding or as invigorating in music. I also love them because in the early (and in today's case, later) years of my digging it encouraged me to seek out artists I may otherwise ignore and dismiss - before discovering that their music was far more than a five second sample. While I try to avoid posting songs based purely on their use as samples it does feature greatly in my record knowledge.

So with that out the way, I've got some gorgeous soul for you today in the form of female vocal group The Emotions. Comprising of three sisters the group have had a career spanning five decades moving from r&b to soul to disco to beyond. It's really not worth expanding on it too much here but you can read all about it on their official site.

Both song are from The Emotions 1971 album Untouched which is notoriously hard to pick up on vinyl and both songs were introduced to me via breaks. While the album was featured by Oliver on Soulsides a while ago if you haven't heard them you need to experience this. Blind Alley has one of the most recognisable breaks in the business, probably most famously used for Big Daddy Kane. The song itself is a lovely piece of summer soul with those gorgeous keys and horn arrangement.

If You Think is a classic song notably used very cleverly by RZA for Verbal Intercourse (how the hell did he come up with that?). The song itself is absolutely 100% stunning. A proper piece of energised soul, the track oozes that kind of impatient, vibrant yearning that just floors me everytime. Everything about this song, from the arrangement, to the vocals, to the strings, to the harmonies to the horn blasts is just pure perfection. I love breaks, but I love the originals ever more.