Ubiquity’s Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing reissue collects some incredible soulful, experimental R&B from Gloria Ann Taylor’s early years, rare tracks that were released during her time with the small label Selector Sound. Taylor owned the label with her brother Leonard and her husband and producer Walter Wisenhunt, who was a “promoter of sorts” with close ties to James Brown. Aquarium Drunkard says of the record:
Comprised of 5 singles and an EP released between 1971 and 1977, these songs are beguiling experiments in R&B in which Taylor’s moving songs and powerful vocals are swathed in ambitious arrangements and fearless production. These tracks are hard to pin down—the sound is a lo-fi, dubby, proto-disco, banged out by imaginative, resourceful musicians working for their own, independent label.
Stream some songs from the album via Taylor’s Bandcamp, and buy it here.
