Despite the popularity of his anti-Reagan anthem “Money’s Too Tight (to Mention)”, released when part of the Valentine Brothers, Billy Valentine did not breakthrough as he had initially hoped. Accepting this, he went on to work for an extended period as a songwriter, producer, and demo vocalist. But galvanised by the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Valentine went back into the studio as a solo artist. “I finally had something to say,” he told The Guardian. “I’m a messenger. That’s my calling.” He was prompted by long-time collaborator Bob Thiele Jr. to record “the Great Black American Songbook.”
On Billy Valentine & the Universal Truth, Valentine interprets a catalogue of politically and socially-engaged songs primarily through the prism of jazz. The selection largely draws upon ’70s soul but there is the spiritual “Wade in the Water”, the Leon Thomas jazz paean “The Creator has a Master Plan”, and Prince’s “Sign O’ the Times”. Valentine is joined by an army of accomplished jazz musicians: tenor saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, trumpeter Theo Croker, bassist Linda May Han Oh, guitarist Jeff Parker, vibraphonist Joel Ross, percussionist Alex Acuña, pianist/keyboardist Larry Goldings, session bassist Pino Palladino, and soul-funk drummer James Gadson.
Valentine’s voice, relied upon for television soundtracks such as Sons of Anarchy, breathes a grainy warmth and wisdom into this staggering collection of songs. His voice is reduced to merely a cry on Curtis Mayfield’s “We the People Who Are Darker than Blue”, the standout arrangement of the collection with its delicate, sympathetic finesse. Valentine manages to match the intensity of Eddie Kendricks’ “My People… Hold On” in his interpretation, which is powered by a rhapsodic guitar solo from Jeff Parker. “Sign O’ the Times” is surprisingly effective in its marriage of electric keys with ghostly trumpet, while still maintaining the groove of the original. Even when the arrangements aren’t totally overturned – as per his cover of War’s “The World is a Ghetto” – Valentine still manages to knock them out of the park and make it all feel worthwhile.
