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Aug 07, 2025 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

In 1971, Motown Records started a California subsidiary meant to expand the label’s reach and establish a base on the West Coast. They titled the new venture Mowest. Ultimately, Mowest released only 10 albums and only lasted a few years, but the label’s Odyssey by the band of the same name, reissued by Real Gone on handsome blue-green swirly vinyl, stands out as one of Motown’s most unique albums.

Originally released in 1972, Odyssey is a truly beguiling mix of funk, soul, and California ’70s Laurel Canyon sounds, with a smidge of jazz sprinkled in for good measure. The opening track, “Home of the Brave” sounds like The Doobie Brothers. The track that immediately follows, “Georgia Song,” is a smooth soul workout. And the song immediately following that, “Country Tune,” prominently features banjo, fiddle, and pedal steel. “Gossamer Wings” is a string-filled female falsetto-sung ballad. “Wondrous Castles” have groups of children laughing and singing off key. “Battened Ships” is filled with horns.

Things pretty much go in this fashion for the entirety of Odyssey. It’s a remarkable, and remarkably odd, accomplishment. The instrumentation is spectacular throughout. The songs are strong. But the diversity from track to track makes Odyssey a somewhat schizophrenic listen. It’s hard to get into a groove with the record, as the styles keep changing. And the fact that it was released by Motown makes it somehow even stranger. Motown made a name for itself in the ’70s with its “psychedelic soul” sounds from some of its more established groups. Odyssey’s self-titled record is the most psychedelically soulful of them all. (www.realgonemusic.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10