Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace

The Numero Group's Eccentric Soul reissue series documents the output of thriving, but overlooked, independent labels from the fringes of the American soul scene. Previous volumes of the series have unearthed incredible music from far-flung locales like Phoenix, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio; the 13th volume in the series, SMART'S PALACE, collects 20 tracks originally released on the Wichita, Kansas-based Solo label. Label owner Dick Smart stood at the center of Wichita's small but flourishing scene, playing bass on a number of Solo recordings, promoting them on his local radio show, and setting up gigs at Smart's Palace, a popular night spot of which he was the proprietor. The material collected here ranges from the proto-disco strut of Chocolate Snow's "Inflation" to the slinky funk of Fred Williams's incredible "Tell Her."