Staff and customers are going to be thrilled with this new installment in Audika's series of Arthur Russell releases. The latest, "Love Is Overtaking Me" is filled with unreleased gems from his vaults, and it collects previously unreleased tracks that explore Russell's singer-songwriter side as he ventures into folk, pop and country.

Audika Records (finally!) releases one of the most important pieces in the puzzle that is the creative engima of Arthur Russell with Love Is Overtaking Me, a beautiful collection of folk, pop and country tunes recorded from 1973-1990, all compiled from the personal archives of Arthur and his partner Tom Lee. While many know of Arthur's dance experiments and his modern composition pieces, few know of this side of the man -- he took part in and formed many different pop groups during his lifetime, all of which would seemingly evaporate before things really got rolling, and he was constantly writing and recording tunes influenced by his Midwest roots and his time in California during the early 1970s. Songs from a few of those groups are included here, along with many solo songs often featuring just Arthur and an acoustic guitar, and sometimes his unique cello playing. The bulk of the collection's earliest pieces were recorded by famed producer John Hammond in CBS Studios throughout the mid '70s, with much of the rest laid down at Blank Tapes in the '80s, where Arthur recorded many of his most famous dance tunes, as well as the album by the Necessaries, a fantastic powerpop band which included Arthur, Ernie Brooks, and Red Crayola drummer Jesse Chamberlain, and was fronted by Ed Tomney. (If you ever see either version of that record, do the right thing!) There are a few tunes recorded at the Kitchen in the '70s, as well as a handful recorded elsewhere.

Most striking upon early listens is Arthur's singing voice -- usually a muffled riddle of onomatopoeia, here he mostly sings in clear, ringing tones. His lyrical muse is very much the same -- fragile, deeply emotional tunes tying both heartfelt themes of love & loss with playful use of catchphrases, haiku-like simplicity, and a directness often difficult to express in song. While the jumps in the timeline throughout may not give the collection as cohesive a feel as something like Calling Out of Context, this CD is overflowing with riches, and is a beautiful treat to be able to curl up with on these chilly autumn days and nights. Tom Lee provides touching liner notes and photos for a package that easily proves to be one of the year's best. Play it with someone you love, or sit and think of the love you've lost -- just give it lots of time and lots of care. Arthur would've wanted it that way.

- Mikey IQ Jones (October 29, 2008)