Spreadin’ Love / I Thank You by Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson – A Funky Soul Punch to the Gut
Alright, let’s get this straight: if you’re looking for some soul-soaked, groove-heavy fire from the early '70s, Spreadin’ Love / I Thank You is the damn needle-drop you need. Released in 1971 on ATCO Records, this Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson joint isn’t just an album—it’s a vibe grenade that explodes right in your chest. With arrangements by Jerry Puckett and Wardell Quezergue (yeah, THE Wardell), it's got that raw funk edge mixed with buttery-smooth soul vibes. And lemme tell ya, these two tracks slap so hard they’ll leave marks.
First up, “I Thank You.” Man, this one hits like a freight train wrapped in velvet. The bassline? Ridiculous. It’s thick enough to choke a horse but smooth enough to make you wanna slide across the floor like John Travolta before disco even existed. Jo Jo’s vocals are gritty yet heartfelt, like he’s pouring out his soul over a plate of grits and gravy. Then Peggy jumps in, and BOOM—her voice cuts through like a knife through hot butter. Together, they create this call-and-response magic that feels like church but with way more hips swinging. This track sticks with me because it’s impossible NOT to move to it. Seriously, try sitting still while this plays—I dare you.
Then there’s “Spreadin’ Love,” which might as well be renamed “Spreadin’ Good Vibes ‘Cause Damn.” This tune is pure sunshine bottled up into four minutes of bliss. The horns hit so sharp they could cut glass, and the rhythm section locks in tighter than a pair of skinny jeans after Thanksgiving dinner. What gets me every time is how effortlessly joyful it feels. Like, yeah, life sucks sometimes, but for those few minutes, everything’s cool. You can almost picture Peggy and Jo Jo onstage, sweat dripping, grinning like maniacs, knowing they’ve got the crowd eating outta their hands.
Now here’s the kicker: listening to this record makes me realize something weird about music today. We’ve got all these high-tech beats and auto-tuned voices, but nothing—and I mean NOTHING—beats the realness of two people just belting their guts out over live instrumentation. It’s messy, it’s imperfect, and THAT’S WHY IT WORKS.
So, if you haven’t heard Spreadin’ Love / I Thank You, stop whatever you’re doing and find it. Screw algorithms; screw playlists curated by robots who don’t know jack about soul. Just press play, crank the volume, and let Peggy and Jo Jo remind you what real music sounds like. Oh, and hey—at the end of the day, maybe we should all be spreadin’ a little more love around anyway. Or at least better dance moves.
