Richard "Popcorn" Wylie

Leave it to the folks at Dusty Groove to reissue another winner like this. 1974's Extrasensory Perception was Detroit-bred Richard "Popcorn" Wylie's only full-length album as a solo artist and it wrongfully slipped through the cracks upon its initial release on ABC Records. The late Wylie played piano on such early Motown hits as "Money" and "Shop Around," and his productions for labels like Golden World and Invictus made him an in-demand name in the Motor City. That Detroit aesthetic is definitely apparent on Perception, with legendary Motown session players like Dennis Coffey, James Jamerson and Eddie "Bongo" Brown contributing. The addition of Los Angeles studio musicians like Ray Parker Jr. and James Gadson, as well as Paul Riser's imperial string arrangements, gives this a mellower and ethereal aura more akin to Barry White, framing Wylie's smooth as molasses vocals on symphonic baubles like "Georgia's After Hours" and "Trust In Me." This is a small taste of soul heaven.