It's only been a day, not a week, since I posted here, but what the hey.
"Without a Song" from The Persuasions: Spread the Word (Capitol)
If The Persuasions had never recorded anything except this, it would be fine with me. It's that perfect.
Plus it holds a special memory for me. I heard The Persuasions in concert in 2003 - I believe that it was one of the last performances by the original group (minus Toubo Rhoad, who passed in 1988) and perhaps it was their last performance together. After the concert, they were signing autographs. I had a couple of LP jackets and all of the members of the group except for Joe Russell signed them. Joe was wandering about, talking with fans. When I caught up with him, I mentioned that "Without a Song" was my favorite of all of the songs they'd recorded. He immediately lit up with a big smile, hugged me (and Joe was a big guy, so it was a real bear hug), and said that it was his favorite also. His response seemed completely real and I felt good about that.