Steve Leach’s Balearic beach-funk beast Ocean Potion, recorded with the Crystal Grass Orchestra is an absolutely ace, Ned Doheny-adjacent funky AOR/blue-eyed soul BBQ classic from 1976. A French-only release on Philips, it’s a hugely immediate, pop-funk firecracker. It features a wonderfully lush, full orchestral sound throughout, underpinning Steve’s gorgeous voice and an army of brilliant backing vocalists. The supporting cast is phenomenal and is arguably the salient reason this is such a fantastic record. Featuring legendary players from the French scene (think Arpadys, Voyage, Kongas, CCPP, Giant, Swing Family) such as Don Ray with his arranger-conductor hat on as well as synths, Marc Chantereau on percussion, Slim Pezin on guitar, André Ceccarelli on drums, Christian Padovan on bass, and Pierre Halation on flute. With these snakes behind the scenes, it remains a mystery how Ocean Potion is so relatively unknown. Hopefully, this long overdue reissue rectifies this and puts a stop to people dropping $200 on it. Triumphant, horn-forward opener “The Light Of The Mind” has that uniquely Ned Doheny fidgety funk feel with a fantastically irresistible chorus and great harmonies. Just magic. Coming off like something off The Beach Boy’s Surf’s Up or Holland is the brilliantly ominous, driving wall of sound of “Take Strength”. Cavernous drums, urgent strings and a staggeringly good vocal performance make this a real highlight amongst an album of highlights. Glacial ballad “All Love’s Children” has a deep New Orleans soul feel that truly soars whilst the breezy “Get Out In The Sun” owes a debt to “Crocodile Rock”. It’s pure pop for now people and wouldn’t have been out of place on a late ’70s Nick Lowe effort. Pastoral closer “I Meditate Each Day” is just beautiful, and likely the reason this reissue is giving you that special feeling. As ever, the audio for Ocean Potion has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston’s expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve featuring a topless Steve reclining next to his piano on a flatbed truck on the beach has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.