The post-Stax, Epic southern soul of the Soul Children – 1976's
Finders Keepers and 1977's Where Is Your Woman Tonight back-to-back!
Finders Keepers is a strong little album by the group – recorded with a very different sound than the Stax work – but one that's still totally great overall! The grooves are a bit warmer and more modern soul styled – uptempo at times, but never in a throwaway club mode – and in a way, the shift is a bit similar to that taken by The Dramatics at the same point. There's still plenty of nicely rough edges in the vocals – that raspy sense of soul that first made us fall in love with the group – and by this point, the lineup has been reduced to a trio, with more of a focus on male vocals than before. The session's filled with work by great Detroit talents who include Don Davis, Steve Mancha, and Harvey Scales – and tracks include "
Finders Keepers", "A Little Understanding", "We Got To Get Our Thing Together", and "I'm Just A Shoulder To Cry On". Where Is Your Woman Tonight is another Epic gem with the group going for a smoother soul sound. Some tracks are a little uptempo, in hopes of a crossover hit – but mostly, just a a solid effort with the group continuing to grow from a raw soul group into a smoother one. This session features production by David Porter at Malaco studios, with the kind of mellow slightly funky vibe that the studio was perfect at for a few years. Titles include "Take Me Make Me", "Head On Collision", "Where Is Your Woman Tonight", "There Always", and "You Don't Need A Ring".