After a short and forgettable detour into pop, Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed is back on safer ground with his latest release, which sees him return to soul roots. Like a latter-day Jake and Elwood, Reed has seen the light and this time round has ramped up the funk and gospel. If he’s atoning for past sins, then he is definitely forgiven as he tells it like it is on such memorable tracks as Hold Out and Cut Ya Down.
The deep funk grooves could give the Daptone Records boys a run for their money and Reed now sounds like a man who has lived, rather than someone who read it all in a book. Brothers and sisters, the prodigal son has returned home.
