Review: Philadelphia International wasn't the only label operating out of Philly in the 1970s you know! There was also CRS Records, which was the brainchild of producer Curtis R Staten, and which from around 1970 or so to the early 80s specialised in a raw, Stax-like soul and funk sound that was a million miles from the clubby sophistication of Gamble & Huff's label. Names like George Johnson Jr, The Butlers or The Caprells might not mean much to anyone but the most dedicated crate-diggers, but then that's surely the point, isn't it? If 60s/70s soul and 'deep funk' are your bag, there's a rich seam of previously under-tapped goodness to mine here...
