Blues In the Key of C

Not to be confused with Charles Wilson of the Gap Band, this Charles Wilson is an obscure but talented blues/soul man who doesn't always sound like a man. In fact, he often sounds like a woman, albeit a woman with a fairly deep voice. Blues in the Key of C, which employs Little Milton on guitar, gives the impression that Wilson has spent a lot of time listening to great female singers like Esther Phillips. Although this CD ended up in the blues bins, most of the material is R&B rather than actual 12-bar blues. Wilson is at his best on "Selfish Lover," "Is It Over," and "Who's It Going to Be," all of which recall the soul music of the '70s and show how convincing a singer he can be. Less memorable is the urban contemporary-ish "Love Supply." Unfortunately, much of the album suffers from weak production. Underproduced can be a healthy thing when you're going for earthy, down-home blues, but the low-budget approach becomes a liability when you're using synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines as much as Wilson does on Blues. In that case, it doesn't sound underproduced — it sounds poorly produced. "Love Supply," in fact, sounds like an urban contemporary demo. But for all its flaws, Blues generally isn't a bad album. Most of the songs are decent, and the disc's shortcomings don't erase the fact that Wilson is capable of greatness.