Ashford & Simpson So So Satisfied LP (Spring Green Vinyl)

So So Satisfied is the 1977 album by husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. It includes the songs "Tried, Tested And Found True", "So So Satisfied" and "Over And Over". Beautiful, lush and sensual, this Spring Green Vinyl release of So So Satisfied is another essential addition to any R&B fan's collection.

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined an aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label, where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned", gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year, Ashford and Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need to Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" and "Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)". Ashford and Simpson wrote many other hit songs, including Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" (1978) and "Is It Still Good to Ya?", originally recorded by the duo in 1978 and covered by Teddy Pendergrass in 1980.

As performers, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets are "Solid" (1984) and "Found A Cure" (1979). The duo were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. They are also recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award, ASCAP Founders Award, and the Grammy Trustee Award. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 19 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

The Ashford & Simpson sound was always lush, sentimental, and soulful, yet subdued. That's the case on this 1977 release. The title cut was a moderate hit, and, as always, the sweeping strings, lyrics, and production were first-rate. Ashford & Simpson albums could get extremely sappy, and at times this one did as well. But they were also usually superbly performed and constructed, and So So Satisfied was no exception.