The Spinners return with first new album in 22 years -- Hear it now

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    (August 27, 2021) One of the biggest musical surprises of 2021 has been the re-emergence of The Spinners. The classic soul group from Detroit, which had a decade of preeminence in the 1970s with a string of hit Thom Bell-produced albums, surprised fans a few weeks ago with the release of the single “Cliché.” And now, they follow it up with their first new album in 22 years, Round The Block and Back Again.

    (August 27, 2021) One of the biggest musical surprises of 2021 has been the re-emergence of The Spinners. The classic soul group from Detroit, which had a decade of preeminence in the 1970s with a string of hit Thom Bell-produced albums, surprised fans a few weeks ago with the release of the single “Cliché.” And now, they follow it up with their first new album in 22 years, Round The Block and Back Again.

    It’s been so long since The Spinners released 1999’s At Their Best, that only group co-founder Henry Fambrough remains from that album (John Edwards exited the group in 2003 due to illness, and Spinners originals Pervis Jackson, Bobby Smith and Billy Henderson all died in the interim). Now consisting of Fambrough along with Ronnie “Raheem” Moss, Jessie Peck, Marvin Taylor and C. J. Jefferson, the group has teamed with legendary songwriter and producer Preston Glass – who in the past decade has also worked on comeback albums for The Stylistics, Chubby Tavares and Freda Payne – for Round the Block.

    One can’t help but feel good for the group members, who’ve kept the fires burning in concerts over the years singing hits – originally recorded by other members -- from nearly a half century ago. They now have their first chance to record in the studio together, and will have fresh songs to add to their tours. And Round The Block, mostly a collection of fairly traditional soul ballads and midtempos, has enough strong material that it may just connect with the group’s longtime fans.

    Kudos to Glass and Peak Records chief Andi Howard for putting this together with the group, and giving longtime soul music fans a pleasant surprise in a year that that given more thorns than roses. And congratulations to The Spinners, for reminding us that, even with a completely reformulated lineup, they’re still a top notch vocal group.

    By Chris Rizik