Calvin Arnold was a journeyman R&B artist from Georgia who enjoyed his greatest success as a behind-the-scenes guy, racking up plenty of credits as a songwriter, producer, engineer, and instrumentalist.
Arnold didn't fare as well as a performer, though it wasn't for lack of talent -- his best-known song, "Funky Way," is a pointed, witty meditation on various human failings that suggests the sort of life lessons
Joe Tex made his trademark, powered by a taut, elemental groove and some tough, scrappy guitar work from
Arnold. If more people in radio had decided "funky" wasn't a dirty word in 1967 (and if his label had a better promotions staff), "Funky Way" probably would have charted higher than number 22 on the R&B singles charts, and number 72 on the pop survey, still a respectable showing for a debut artist.
Arnold cut four singles for
Venture Records (an R&B-oriented branch of
MGM Records) in the late '60s, and all eight of those tracks appear on 2024's
Funky Way: Venture Recordings 1967-1969, along with five additional songs from his time at
Venture that were never released. "Funky Way" was the hit here, but the other material shows
Arnold could have been a bigger star if he'd had better luck.
Arnold is a strong vocalist who knows how to engage the listener, the songs match satisfying grooves with street-smart lyrics, and this is great Southern soul that's flavorful and well-crafted, with a no-nonsense rhythm section and punchy horn charts. (
Clarence Paul produced or co-produced most of these tracks, though
the Mighty Hannibal was at the controls for "Just a Matter of Time" and "You've Got to Live for Yourself.") It's anyone's guess why the five bonus tracks were shelved, beyond the financial troubles that led to
Venture's early demise, but they're as good as the stuff that did make it to record shops, and
Brian Proust's liner notes deliver a concise, compelling history of
Arnold's salad days. He never got to make an album during his years as a headliner, and it's too bad some of his later singles for
Sonday and
IX Chains couldn't have been included, but
Funky Way is a long-overdue tribute to a talent that deserved wider exposure. ~ Mark Deming