Kevin Riordan: From Camden, a touch of classic soul

Three gentlemen from Camden who call themselves TRU are bringing back the warmhearted harmonies and classy choreography of old-school soul.

James "Jimi" Williams, 57, Primo Wansley, also 57, and LaVon "Donnie" Tatem, 50, are a trio of married, middle-class guys who make music for grown-ups.

"TRU stands for 'Talented, Religious, and Unique,' " Jimi says as I join the group for coffee at the Collingswood Diner.

Hardworking, too: Even with day jobs and families, these three city residents find time to try out new songs and steps. They rehearse three days a week and commute to Atlantic City and elsewhere for gigs; last month they went to Youngstown, Ohio, for a TV appearance arranged by publicist Brigena Tatem (who's Donnie's wife).

"We give audiences the best that we have, with real music and real voices coming at you," Donnie says. "Not computer chips and all that."

Phil Cohen, a longtime Camden-based disc jockey ("The Funky White Boy"), former broadcaster, and classic R&B devotee, says TRU is upholding an urban musical tradition.

"They're keeping it alive for the younger cats," he says.

The trio recently released a debut CD (With TRU Love) and are promoting it via billboards in and around Camden (Brigena again). The 10-song collection of lush ballads features classic cuts such as "If You Don't Know Me By Now," as well as original tunes by the late South Jersey radio personality Joey Lattanzi.

"Love songs. This is what it's all about," Jimi says. "Right, ladies?"

A quartet of waitresses taking a break nearby say, "Amen." Which fits, given that church plays a starring role in TRU's musical heritage.

"When I was around 7 or 8, my grandmother would take me with her to Chestnut Street U.A.M.E., and they found I could sing a little bit," says Donnie, he of the butterscotch baritone. "So they put me in the adult choir."

Says Primo, an easy-on-the-ears tenor: "My first inspiration was gospel records. I just started singing on my own, trying to hit note for note what I heard. Then other people started telling me I could sing."

Jimi's musical lineage has a secular side. His mother, Ida Fussell, sang in Lawnside nightclubs. But he vividly remembers the compliments he received after singing the part of the "understanding angel" in an elementary school play. His tenor is as warm and affable as his personality.

All three TRU men grew up listening to Motown and Philly soul in the '60s and early '70s. Later, they sang individually or in pairs in a succession of vocal groups with names like Promise of the Future, Gentlemen of Leisure, the Stars of Harmony, the Ebonies, and the Men.

"Jimi was singing with his fellas from Centerville, and I happened to overhear," recalls Primo, who, like Donnie, grew up in South Camden. "They were all good. But his voice stuck out to me the most. I told him, 'I'm going to sing with you, man.' "

They eventually did - first in the Men, then in a group that ultimately became TRU when Donnie replaced another singer.

In the three years since, TRU has polished its sound and perfected its style. The trio's unabashedly romantic lyrics, matching suits, and crowd-pleasing routines may be a bit retro, but it's not a nostalgia act.

"Our shows are a culmination of ideas from all of us," Primo explains. "We pick out the songs; we do our own choreography; we do our own arrangements. We don't have coaches."

They rehearse their choreography at Universal Dance Studio on Route 130 in Collingswood.

"We're not trying to be the Temptations," Jimi says. "We're TRU."

Nonetheless, "we like [being] throwbacks to those kinds of groups," Donnie notes.

While many talented musicians have been associated with Camden, it's a stretch to say the city has a trademark sound, à la Philadelphia or Detroit.

But the sound of TRU - earnest, honest, and hopeful - is sweet.