Sedan - Sedan (40th anniversary) [Red]

Sedan made a record then disappeared, a Cincinnati soul band that no one outside of digger circles had heard of until now, reissued here in a numbered edition of 500 copies on translucent red vinyl.

Almost nothing of this band survives beyond the record itself. They formed in the early 1980s, recorded a single self-titled album in 1985 and broke up soon after, the kind of story that describes half the great obscure soul records ever made. The only thread one can follow is Craig E. Robinson, who played on this session before co-founding Dayton, the Ohio funk band that really broke through, and later made a career as a producer. Whatever he learned here, he took it with him.

“Snake Dancin'” is the reason collectors chase this record, a boogie groove that never falters, punchy bass and horns in perfect formation. "You Ain't Got Nothin' to Do" takes a slower, more seductive vibe, "All Night Affair" earns its title with a bass line made for it, and "Stick to Your Dream" closes things out on the album's most heartfelt note, a band clearly hoping that this record would be the start of something rather than the whole of it.

It didn't, but forty years later someone finally noticed. It's its own end.