His fifth album, released in 1972, "Blues and The Soulful Truth" is often considered to be Thomas' classic album. Aimed at a crossover market, producer Bob Thiele allied the singer with James Brown's bandleader Pee Wee Ellis and the original funky drummer Bernard Purdie. The result was an exciting mix of soul, blues and spiritually aware jazz. Highlights include the beautifully evocative 'China Doll', the Donny Hathaway-sounding 'Love Each Other' and the apocalyptic 'Shape Your Mind To Die'. The core creative team on the album was helped along by the contributions from Airto Moreira, Stanley Clarke and Larry Coryell.