The "5" Royales Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
The group's last album for the King label is less impressive than The Five Royales Sing for You or Dedicated to You, but that's only because it's a little bit shorter in duration, and the first six songs are a bit too oriented toward what one might define as doo wop music. These ballads aren't as inventive as those on the earlier records, and the first side's rhythm numbers generally lack some of the catchiness of their predecessors -- then come the second six songs, where Lowman Pauling's guitar comes to the fore, and the Five Royales deliver up a half-dozen songs that are in a league with anything on The Five Royales Sing for You. There were lots worse ways that this band could close out their history in the LP format, and they sound like they still have quite a few good years left in them (which, in fact, they did). ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'Five Royales Sing for You'
Release Date 1/1/1959
Tracks 16
Label King
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The group's second album for the King label is not quite the soaring achievement that Dedicated to You was, but it will do and then some. From slow romantic ballads to pure blues, the group offers an extraordinary range of catchy, eminently danceable tracks -- 16 in all -- and all worth hearing more than once. Opening with the melodic ballad "Your Only Love," the quintet hits its stride with "The Real Thing," a pounding shouter that's heavy on the rhythm guitar and offers a killer sax break -- "Don't Let It Be in Vain," which follows, is a slow soul ballad with some searing lead guitar courtesy of Lowman Pauling, whose axe also shows up at some strategic moments on "The Cha Cha Cherry." "Double or Nothing" is more of a pure vocal showcase, while the relentlessly upbeat and funny "Mohawk Squaw" seems to bring the group into Cadillacs and Coasters territory, where they acquit themselves well. And then there's the mid-tempo jewel "I Need Your Lovin' Baby," which shows the group near its peak vocally and instrumentally. The whole second side of the original LP is made up of songs that could have been hits or solid B-sides of hits, including "Tell the Truth," which Ray Charles would later cover, and Pauling's killer solo on "The Slumber the Slum." The third-to-last track, "I Ain't Getting Caught," carries them into novelty material of unexpected smoothness and subtlety, and then the group takes a totally unexpected detour into slow blues with "When I Get Like This." Couple that with a really cool cover design and this record is a keeper -- King Records has made it even more attractive by keeping the list price below $10.00 on the CD. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This may be the great lost R&B record of the 1950s. The "5" Royales were a fine singing group long before this release, but on these sides recorded between 1955 and 1957, guitarist Lowman Pauling cuts loose with the most fiery guitar fills this side of Ike Turner. From the opening shout of "Think" to the closing notes of "Thirty Second Lover," Dedicated to You is a guitar tour-de-force. The album's crowning moment comes on "Say It," where Clarence Paul's pleading vocal is answered with Pauling's bluesy replies. Other highlights include Bill Doggett's gospel-tinged organ on "Someone Made You For Me," several fine sax solos ("Don't Be Ashamed," "Right Around the Corner") and the straightforward rocker "Messin' Up." An overlooked classic. ~ J.P. Ollio, All Music Guide
