Sunny & The Sunliners – Mr. Brown Eyed Soul

For those of you that have (or have not) been following the rapid rise of Big Crown Records in Brooklyn, NY, their star just seems to keep rising with the release of Mr. Brown Eyed Soul, a ’60’s and ’70’s compilation from Sunny & The Sunliners. Sunny Ozuna has been putting out records fro six decades. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he still resides there and has forged a wide path in his soul music career. A vocalist since the early ’50’s while he was in high school, he eventually settled onto Huey Meaux’s Tear Drop label and a hit “Talk To Me”. This gave him national exposure and an eventual appearance on American Bandstand. Ozuna stayed with the label until 1966, when he then went to form his own label, Key-Loc Records. On this imprint you would find all of his recordings both in English and Spanish from the remainder of the 1960’s and 1970’s. This period of output is his most influential and where the compilation draws its tracks from.

‘Mr. Brown Eyed Soul’ is not necessarily a ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation, although it obviously has a bunch of them on here. In the end, this is our take on the crème-de-la-creme of Sunny’s English language soul tunes.”- Danny Akalepse

An active performer throughout the Southwest and California, Ozuna continues to keep the tradition of soul music alive wherever he goes. The social impact of his music for example, is tremendous. Not just popular with record aficionados and collectors around the world, his music has been grasped by oldies and low rider culture, specifically tunes like “Smile Now, Cry Later”, which can be seen tattoed on many people throughout the globe. Talk about an impact of his music! This compilation runs the gamut of smooth soul, funky stuff, as well as mid-temp soul groovers that both reinforce his prowess for those in the know, and serve as an introduction to anyone who isn’t familiar. A great job by a label who just keeps growing their discography in many ways, which are all good.

Tracklist for Sunny & The Sunliners Mr. Brown Eyed Soul (Big Crown Records)

[Intro 1]
Should I Take You Home?
Cross My Heart
The One Who’s Hurting Is You
Smile Now, Cry Later
Our Day Will Come
Put Me In Jail
Forever
I Only Have Eyes For You
[Intro 2]
Get Down
Open Up Your Love Door
Give It Away
Rain Makes Me Blue
Outside Looking In
I Have No One
My Dream