Happy 10th Anniversary to Kings Go Forth’s debut album The Outsiders Are Back, originally released April 20, 2010.
Wooden floorboards coated in a distinctly authentic mix of sweat, beers and tears; a bubbling, chattering crowd of fun-seekers and the faded neon signs of a downtown bar. The scene was set as the band strode on stage and the room filled with the heavenly sounds of a funky rhythm section and a sweet soul singer. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Kings Go Forth and their debut album The Outsiders Are Back.
Shit, I wish that was true. It is, in fact, a load of old bollocks.
The reality is a whole lot more mundane. Cut to three weeks ago, and I had decided to self-isolate before it became all the rage (I like to think of myself as a trailblazer in that way) due to my compromised immune system. What on earth is a man to do with the first extended time to himself since he became a parent almost four years ago?
Now before your mind hits the gutter, I’ll tell you that I decided to catch up on films I would have loved to have seen at the cinema, if my daughter’s presence hadn’t limited those opportunities severely. I can’t paint a pretty scene for you—movie time was first thing in the morning after my wife and daughter left the house so it involved pyjamas, unbrushed teeth and an unshowered writer.
First atop my list was Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart—a genuinely charming, funny and clever film blessed with a soundtrack that was its equal. Among the artists featured were Perfume Genius, LCD Soundsystem and Leikeli47. But lurking there slap bang in the middle was a slice of absolute perfection that sounded like a lost Philadelphia sound single from the 1970s.
Once the film had finished, I swiped to IMDB and meticulously rebuilt the soundtrack on Apple Music. The song that piqued my interest the most was revealed to be entitled “High On Your Love” by a group called Kings Go Forth. Googling them proved largely pointless—apart from a couple of favorable reviews from Pitchfork and Spin magazine, there was scant information available.
The Outsiders Are Back had only been released a few years previously, in 2010, so it was clear that it had been part of the soul revival that the 21st Century brought with it. Alongside the more successful names of Winehouse and Saadiq was a whole ecosystem of other bands springing forth from the ether. Experienced singers hit critical and, to some extent, commercial paydirt after years of toiling away waiting around for fashion to catch up with where they had been for years.
The Daptone Records label, in particular, became a byword for quality, reupholstered soul sounds—Sharon Jones gained the success her talent deserved and Charles Bradley’s life made an abrupt 180 degree turn as he recorded and toured with his ragged, aged delight of a soul voice. Just a quick glance at your streaming site of choice will reveal a whole raft of groups led by a female vocalist and backed by a group named for maximum soul impact.
What most of them shared musically was the DNA of the late ‘60s era of soul—many of them would have sounded right at home in a Northern Soul club. Four to floor stompers to accompany barnstorming vocal dynamism was one mode of operation. Kings Go Forth were different though, for their DNA sprang forth from the harmonies of the Philadelphia sound and a leaning towards a later era of soul music: the 1970s.
The roots of the band lay in Milwaukee, with Lotus Records owner Andy Noble and local vocalist Black Wolf. A chance conversation led to the formation of the band, named after a 1958 film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. Expanding to a 10-piece band with full soul instrumentation, they built a reputation on the local scene, dropping singles as they went—the album collected them together and more.
Album opener “One Day” offers the glimpse of what follows. Among the usual instrumental suspects is the ferocious, frenetic sound of the conga, invoking the legendary sound of Curtis Mayfield and planting it firmly in a different camp to some other throwbacks of the time. That same frantic quality is carried on by “I Don’t Love You No More” with its furious percussion, urgent horns and driving wah-wah.
Other styles are flirted with over the course of the running time—there’s the reggae vibe of “1000 Songs” and the almost disco of “Don’t Take My Shadows.” Throughout the record there is a similarity to Terence Trent D’Arby to be heard in Black Wolf’s vocals—not all the time or at all pitches but when the time is right, there is the same gravelly joy to be had in hearing his pleading exhortations.
The real highlight though is a glorious one-two combination in the middle of the album, incorporating the song that lured me in, in the first place. First comes the subdued beauty of “Fight With Love.” A flute, gently cooing backing vocals and Black Wolf’s beseeching combine with a slightly morose piano line to create a gorgeous atmosphere of loss to drown your sorrows in. “High On Your Love” follows and it is the polar opposite—it is a balmy sunset with the one you love. It is effortlessly dreamy and floats in a way that only a blissed-out soul groove can. It is a slice of perfection.
There is no point pretending that I’ve listened to this a million times (there is, after all, a 4-year-old in my house who loves the Moana soundtrack) or that it is some lost classic that merits deluxe re-release and the world to stop and pay attention. It is, though, a really good addition to any record collection lit up by a tight band and some great soul vocals courtesy of Black Wolf.
It has some absolute gems to make your world stop for a few minutes and forget about the ills surrounding us and what else could you want, right now, but that sweet release? Amongst the records that give you comfort in these troubled times, try to find time to discover a new love, a new joy to be enjoyed in isolation. In short, may your lockdown be punctuated by new discoveries like this one, however they come into your life.
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