Lush, swooning homage to the girl-group sound. Andy Kim was a Lebanese-Canadian musician (originally named “Youakim”) who released his first single in 1963, at the age of 16 (maybe–different sources can’t seem to agree on what year he was born), and had his first top 40 hit in 1965. Around 1968, he began working with mega-successful pop songwriter Jeff Barry (“Baby, I Love You,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” etc.). As co-writers, they had a #1 hit with “Sugar, Sugar” and went on to write extensively for the Archies and the Monkees. Meanwhile, Kim pursued a comparatively low-profile solo career, releasing several albums of smooth, well-crafted, romantic pop. His biggest self-penned hit was “Rainbow Ride,” but he also had hits with covers of Barry’s tunes “Baby I Love You” and “Be My Baby.” His versions are very faithful to the girl-group originals (other than the fact that he is a dude), and the act of taking on someone else’s musical identity must have had interesting implications for him: “Kim had shied away from touring for years… when he was working with the Steed label. He has said that he had created a persona in his music in the vein of a white blond surfer and that fans were shocked to see his dark skin color and appearance.”
“So Good Together” was released on Steed Records in 1969 and made it to #36 on the charts. Opens with dramatic piano chords and a chorus of female singers: “Baby we’re good together, yes we’re so good together.” Layers of keyboards, guitars, and echoey drums establish a swaying rhythm similar to “Baby I Love You”…kind of a shuffle beat or something? It’s double-time compared to the vocals, but still sounds relaxed. Kim breathily voices such seductive sentiments as “If I could only put myself inside you, you could see through my eyes, feel what I’m feeling.” Celesta and angelic female vocals contribute to the romantic-ness, plus there’s a saxophone solo. The rhythm continues unbroken throughout the song, with Kim’s legato vocal line swooping, over it, creating an immersive sound that carries the reader along. Great songwriting and arrangement; the gorgeous, exhilarating sound Kim was going for is flawlessly achieved. 3 stars.
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