Threefer: Brenton Wood
As a young music fanatic growing up in the ‘90s and aughts, my go-to resource for artist biographies and album reviews was AllMusic.com. I particularly liked reading the reviews of Stephen Thomas Erlewine. I shared a lot in common with his musical tastes, so when he gave his opinion, I paid attention.
One day, I ran across a piece in which Erlewine named his favorite single of all time. That tune was Brenton Wood’s “Gimme Little Sign,” a perfect slice of soul-pop from 1967. I dug the song so much that I bought Brenton Wood’s 18 Best, and I was blown away at the consistency of that compilation. Wood, who died on January 3, 2025, at the age of 83, was a truly underrated soul man.
Released during the Summer of Love, “Gimme Little Sign” (#9 pop, #19 R&B) features Wood’s airy falsetto and a groovy electric organ solo. Wood’s first Top 40 pop hit had come earlier that year with the novelty track “The Oogum Boogum Song” (#34 pop, #19 R&B). His third and final Top 40 hit of the year – and ultimately his career – was the feel-good sub-two-minute ditty “Baby You Got It” (#34 pop, #30 R&B), and it may just be my favorite of the bunch with verses like “You got soul, too much soul/Foxy clothes, the cutest nose.”
All three are catchy and romantic soul sides that I never tire of hearing, but for this Threefer, I decided to go beyond the better-known tunes. I present to you three recordings, all of which Wood wrote or co-wrote, that should’ve been hits.
“I Think You’ve Got Your Fools Mixed Up”
from 1967’s Oogum Boogum
On this B-side to “Gimme Little Sign,” Wood sings over tasty acoustic guitar licks that he’s not the fool his ex thinks he is. He’s not the guy who followed her around like a dog, wagging his “cute little tail” whenever she called his name (or was that him?). Wood may have been rejected, but he “got lucky again” and found another girl.
“Catch You On The Rebound”
from 1967’s Baby You Got It
This has a similar vibe to “Fools.” Wood seemed to follow the Motown formula of cranking out soundalike singles. Hey, don’t mess with a good thing. The song inspired the title of his 2024 tour, “Catch You On The Rebound: The Last Tour.”
“Me And You”
from 1967’s Baby You Got It
The high notes Wood hits on the chorus are direct from doo-wop heaven. I also love how the verses are spoken word. My favorite line: “We can get a lil’ ole lightweight thang goin.’”
Hope you’ve enjoyed this sampling of Wood’s sweet soul music. R.I.P. Sam Moore of Sam & Dave as well. He passed away on January 10 at the age of 89. Sam & Dave’s classic 1968 single “I Thank You” made our 10 Great ‘Thank You’ Songs list.
another classic soul Threefer
