AMG Review of Constellation of Chicago Soul

John Bush
All Music Guide

Although active for only three years during the mid-'60s, Chicago's Constellation label scored with a few soul hits, most coming from their two big acts: Gene Chandler and Dee Clark. This wrap-up of the Constellation sound includes only four from Chandler and none from Clark -- since they're represented on their own collections -- so its value immediately slips a bit. The songwriting and production values don't rate too high either, but the level of performances from the artists make a much stronger bid for immortality. The opener (and the best track, hands down) is the full version of Chandler's hit "Rainbow '65," during which one of Chicago's best testifiers spends six minutes expertly teasing a largely female audience into hysterics with the most playful of pleadings. New Orleans legend Lee Dorsey is represented with a pair of average sides, while Nolan Chance (who replaced Chandler in the Dukays) scored a regional hit with the countrified "She's Gone (And She Won't Be Back)." The rest are period soul sides, capable of placing any listener squarely in the sound of 1965 but certainly lacking the timeless qualities of classic soul music.