Black Cream by The Harold Wheeler Consort (Real Gone Music)

The Harold Wheeler Consort
Black Cream
Real Gone Music

Looking for something special to ramp up the mood ? Black Cream will heat things up faster than a visit to the Lion’s Den or a spritz or three of Drakkar Noir. With glimmering rays of amber and songs wrapped in skin tones, Harold Wheeler’s only album is sizzling soul that stands as an iconic moment of the 1970s.

But this is just not a fly-by-night collection of bedroom jazz-funk by a random composer. Harold Wheeler helped shape Broadway, was responsible for The Wiz, and became the sound for a slew of brands including McDonalds, Coca Cola, Pan Am Airlines, Kook Aid, and more.

More recently, Harold Wheeler may sound familiar as the band leader for “Dancing with the Stars,” leading an Orchestra consisting of 28 members for 17 seasons of the show until they were booted off.

Wheeler started his career working for Burt Bacharach and the musical Promises, Promises. Word got around quickly and immediately, he was working with Michael Bennet for A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Coco, and SCANDAL. The train kept a’ rolling, and his career expanded to multiple musicals, jingles, performances, movie scores, and the list goes on.

Throughout his career, he arranged and produced for Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and a massive score of other performers. Wheeler’s curriculum vitae is historical.

We hear elements of his talents throughout Black Cream. Wheeler strips the music of most verses of the songs that he covers and transforms the music into landscape, serving more like library music than the soul albums of the time.

And let’s be clear here, the star of this show is those crystal synth moments, soothing bass lines and dooey-eyed string arrangements. From the Kmart musak of “Mack the Knife” to the deeply rich duo of “Then Came You / Don’t Cry Girl,” the coolness factor uplifts the ‘70s schlock elements (“Send in the Clowns” for reference) that make it feel more powerful in its time capsule moments.

The fact that your clothes will be laying in a pile on the floor before the needle raises is your own doing. Harold Wheeler is just there for support.