Winfield Parker, Mr. Clean: Winfield Parker at Ru-Jac (Omnivore)

Winfield Parker was a Washington/Baltimore–based soul singer who—hauntingly—had a sound both vocally and stylistically similar to Danny White. (Fast forward: White was a native of Washington who moved to New Orleans and waxed several regional hits here during the early 1960s.) Parker too would record a clutch of well-crafted singles in the 1960s that are now pricey collectors’ items, particularly overseas. This is the first time these singles have been assembled in one place. The 23-track anthology is split between dance floor grooves and well-paced ballads. The two-part title track, “Mr. Clean,” is an especially boisterous declaration, where Parker explains to the girls “there’s no place I can’t come back, ’cause I’m clean and I know how to act!” As stated, several of the tracks in the mix have New Orleans–flavored arrangements, à la White, K-Doe and Johnny Adams sides. Included in that batch are “My Love For You,” “Oh My Love” and “When I’m Alone.” Other highlights include “Go Away Playgirl,” “Rockin’ In the Barnyard,” “She’s So Pretty” and especially “Funkey Party”—strongly influenced by his old running buddy Arthur Conley. But again the similarities between these Ru-Jac recordings and White are simply uncanny. Not really a bad track on here and most of it is available in glorious mono (and vinyl) inside a superlative package. Definitely worth checking out if you’re into early soul—one of the best reissues I’ve heard in some time. Surely this guy was one of the great unknowns.