Whole lotta soul... in Columbus?

In his excellent book, "Sweet Soul Music," author Peter Guralnick defines Southern soul by differentiating it from its better-groomed, better-choreographed Motown cousin:
"It was a musical mode in which the band might be out of tune, the drummer out of time, the singer off-key, and yet the message could still come across -- since underlying feeling was all."
I have spent the past several days listening to a wonderful compilation that proves the power of music with feeling -- no matter the circumstance of its creation.
"Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label" chronicles the brief and not very successful musical career of fledgling producer/singer Bill Moss. Moss later gained local fame as a fiery school board member and political activist in Columbus, Ohio. In the early 1970s, however, he attempted to put his Midwestern hometown on the musical map.
Operating on a shoestring and never able to claim anything more than a modest regional hit, Moss nevertheless recorded "lost classic" songs such as "You Can't Blame Me" by Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr, "Who Knows" by Marion Black, "Row My Boat" by the Four Mints and "Hot Grits!!!" by Elijah & The Ebonites.
Don't worry.
Until recently, I have never heard any of these 30-some-year-old singles, either.
It's a funny thing, though -- their quality is such that I have been singing along after only a couple times listening.
One of the most fascinating things about independent soul music like Capsoul's releases is that there were THOUSANDS such great tunes in HUNDREDS of towns around the country in the 1960s and 70s. They were often lost in the shuffle because of the enormous success of Motown and Stax, but they were out there, made by musicians who poured their feelings into the songs.
Uncovering them is like finding gems in cave. I love it.