Leon Phelps, otherwise known as “the Ladies’ Man” on Saturday Night Live, was known for wooing women with his funky attitude and a glass of Courvoisier. Another Leon who was probably more successful with the ladies — and whose roots in soul make him Phelps’ predecessor — is Leon Huff, famous as one of the innovators of Philly soul. His bold piano style was used alongside the vocals of The O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass and The Jones Girls, groups with whom he worked frequently in his role as a songwriter and producer with Philly International.
His only solo album, Here to Create Music, was re-released under the “Total Soul Classics” banner from Legacy Recordings. It features the vocals of several Philly soul artists, yet the emphasis is placed on Huff and his piano skills, and rightfully so.
Huff’s intentions with the album are obvious from the start in “Your Body Won’t Move, if You Can’t Feel the Groove.”
“I just want to make your body move/ I just want you to feel the groove,” the vocals erupt. For an opening song, it offers the listener a glimpse into what the fusion of soul and funk would sound like, and the result is typical. Yet that familiar image is quickly deconstructed as the album progresses.
The most notable tracks are those without any vocalist help, and considering how instrumental albums are often written off as inaccessible, Huff has achieved quite a feat. “This One’s For Us,” despite the flowery opening reminiscent of a soap opera, evolves into a ballad that manages to play out sincerely. And “Latin Spirit” achieves exactly that, a Latin spirit through the use of whistles and drums. It’s obvious Huff had fun with his work, and it translates through the speakers to whoever listens.
An interesting bonus on Here to Create Music is the inclusion of “Money’s Tight,” which is the B-side of “Tight Money,” one of the songs on the album. “Tight Money” is one of the few to offer vocals, and thereby offering narrative — and even social commentary: “Tight money/ Money’s tight/ Prices rising higher/ It ain’t right.”
Don’t worry, it sounds cooler on the album.
“Money’s Tight,” on the other hand, is the same song without the vocals. But why is it on the album? Why does it exist at all? Maybe it’s Huff trying to impress a belief in the superiority of instrumentals, or maybe it is like all of the other instrumental songs on the album: all in good fun.
Leon Huff and his partner Kenny Gamble could be described as the re-inventors of soul, as they breathed new life into a worn-out genre. It’s obvious that their legacy has carried on to new generations — and the funk/soul embodiment that is Leon Phelps is just the beginning. Legacy Recordings has labeled this album a “Total Soul Classic,” and with Here to Create Music, Huff proves it’s a title well deserved.
4 stars out of 5
