Doin’ It Right

Released

The second album from little-known soul singer Mike James Kirkland is just another bizarrely unsuccessful soul/funk/R’n’B album from the early seventies that fetched high prices on the collectors market before it was re-released. Kirkland possessed a smooth baritone not dissimilar to Marvin Gaye and the eight tracks of laid back, orchestrated, conga and bongo-laden soul and funk on Doin’ It Right also have a somewhat similar feel to Gaye’s What’s Going On. For R’n’B collectors, it was often the dance floor tracks that attracted them, and opener “Got To Do It Right,” and final song “The Only Change” with its sing-a-long hook and spacious, laid-back funk groove are two big reasons for Doin’ It Right’s desirability. An under-reported soul album worthy of attention. 

Harold Heath