The debut set as leader by organist
Sonny Phillips is refreshingly free of the usual clichéd funky licks copped off Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff albums. Very early in his career, the Alabama-born, Chicago-based
Phillips trained on piano under
Ahmad Jamal, and
Jamal's characteristic style remains imprinted on
Phillips' loose, easy-flowing solos. (There's a little
Ramsey Lewis in there as well, especially on the swinging soul-jazz title track.) This lighter touch and less blues-dependent style gives
Sure 'Nuff an intriguing and unusual sound that keeps it from sounding like just another soul-jazz album. At times,
Phillips sounds like he's been listening to jazz-rock pioneers like the
Al Kooper-led
Blood, Sweat & Tears or even the very early (pre-wimpy)
Chicago, because tracks like "Be Yourself" and "The Other Blues" subtly integrate rock backbeats and rhythm guitar into jazz forms.
Sure 'Nuff isn't an undiscovered masterpiece or anything, but it's considerably more interesting than the average soul-jazz album from the late '60s. ~ Stewart Mason