Album of the Day

Paul Kelly – not to be confused with the Australian singer-songwriter – came up through the Miami R&B scene of the mid-1960s and by the end of the decade had begun playing the kind of socially aware soul that Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Swamp Dogg specialized in. Kelly's moment of glory came with “Stealing In The Name Of The Lord,” a skeptical look at the church that became a Top 20 hit in 1970. It's the centerpiece of the performer's debut album for Happy Tiger, which was retitled and rereleased by Warner Bros. as DIRT. With additional songs including “What's Happenin' To Me And You” and “(He Ain't Nothin' But) Dirt” and strong arrangements with some ear-catching guitar licks, DIRT is a disc any fan of early-70s Southern soul-pop will dig.