__Subject__: CD Review: Ace "The Best of Ace" (Varese Vintage)
__Date__: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 20:03:57 -0600
Ace "The Best of Ace" (Varese Vintage)
Before Ace lead-singer Paul Carrack reintroduced himself to the American
public as Jools Holland's replacement in Squeeze (most notably with his lead
vocal on the track "Tempted") he fronted the British R&B band, Ace. Their
one chart success, 1973's "How Long," was a superb slice of blue-eyed soul,
closely anticipating the sound Hall & Oates would take up the charts a few
years later.
In contrast to their American counterparts, however, Ace was highly
influenced by the UK pub-rock scene from which they sprang. Not only had the
members come from different pub-rock bands, but they recorded their debut
album (the entirety of which comprises the first ten tracks of this
compilation) at Rockfield Studios in Wales, home turf of Dave Edmunds. The
band's arrangements are on the smooth end of the pub-rock scale, sticking
more closely to the soul sounds of Memphis and Motown than the
country-rock-folk sounds of Brinsley Schwarz.
In addition to the smooth soul, Ace could also inject an element of funk,
such as the rolling Neville Brothers styled rhythms of "Rock & Roll Runaway"
and "Satellite." Unfortunately, nothing besides "How Long" could make an
impression on the charts, and their excellent debut album faded away quickly
from memory (despite having charted to #11). The two follow-up LPs, each
represented here by a trio of songs, had similarly fine moments, but no
popular success. The swampy country guitar of Paul Carrack's "I'm a Man"
deserved a lot better than a quick stop in the second-100 of the charts.
Carrack would go on to larger commercial fortunes (writing for and playing
with Roxy Music, Squeeze, Nick Lowe, Carlene Carter, Mike & The Mechanics
and many others), but this original expression of his soulful voice is well
worth hearing. Those who only know the hit will be very pleasantly surprised
by the album catalog that backs it up.
