Boscoe – “Boscoe ” – [Numero Group]

ArtCrimes   3/5/2008   CD, Soul

Boscoe (self-titled)

A reissue of a super-obscure limited pressing by the Chicago-based group Boscoe, originally released on the group’s own Kingdom of Chad label. Japanese crate diggers built up the allure of this forgotten release, and Numero Group once again outhipped the hippest by finally getting this out on a wider basis than when it first hit the streets in 1973. Boscoe combined the social commentary of the Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron with some dashes of O’Jays-style funk, innovative horn arrangements, and a few slow jams for good measure. The playing is a bit harder than the mainstream soul of those days, and the great singing and ensemble work here paints a picture of a hard-working group with lots of interest in moving beyond cookie-cutter soul. So throw your fist in the air and fight the power with Boscoe.