Joe Smooth - Rejoice (1989)

One of Chicago's earliest bestsellers in the genre that would later be known as "Deep House", Joe Smooth is mostly known for his 1988 single 'Promised Land' which helped House break out from the underground into mainstream dancefloor nirvana. What most people don't realize however, is that his one and only full length release the following year is also one of the earliest and most fully realized records in a genre that was moving faster than the speed of light.

That being said, there's some great stuff here that is fascinating to hear considering the place and time which it was created in - the beats are more post-disco that full blown House or the distant specter of Drum & Bass. Still, a few boneified classsics can be found throughout - the glitzy groove of 'For The Love Of Money', the sample guitar rippin' 'Children Weep' and the proto-jungle punchline known as 'One Moment In Love' are all quite noteworthy in their own particular manners.

But let's be honest here: most people don't give a damn about dance music that didn't come out in the here and now: the stuff doesn't have much of a shelf life to picky ears. To those of you who'd like to take a trip into the past, where things were in the midst of change and revolution from day to day instead of year to year, you might be quite pleased with what you find in Rejoice.

Listen Here - "Children Weep"


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