Several listeners are of the opinion that North Carolina’s “5” Royales are to soul music what Neil Armstrong is to lunar exploration. This is a fascinating reissue that documents the twilight of one of the hardest singing R&B groups of all time. Led by the brilliant guitarist Lowell Pauling, the group switched from gospel to R&B in the early 1950s. They had several brilliant releases on the Apollo and King labels, racking up decent sales in Dixie. A dispute between the group and King’s boss made them jump ship in 1960 and that’s where we pick up the story. The “5” Royales signed with the tiny Memphis label, Home of the Blues, where they were paired with a young and talented producer, Willie Mitchell.

Mitchell didn’t so much produce the group as he let them continue to do their thing—stirring call and response R&B. Check out “Not Going to Cry,” “Much in Need” or “I Got to Know.” Nothing sugar coated here, no pretty singing, just driving, emotive early deep soul. The group even has a go at James Brown’s “Please, Please, Please,” a payback for Brown’s expropriation of the “5” Royales’ “Think,” an event that led to the group’s departure from King.

At the time of these H.O.B. recordings, several members of the group were moonlighting on the Federal label as El Pauling & Royal Abbit, and their fine recordings are also included here. Sadly, at a time when soul music was taking off, the public pretty much ignored the “5” Royales. In the early 1960s, their record sales were paltry and the group broke up in 1964. The music and another over the top package by Ace makes this an attractive purchase.