borrowed tunes: soul roundup :: sharon jones + dap-kings, al green, solomon burke, baby huey

« the soundtrack of our lives :: origin, vol. 1 | Main | preview :: devin davis »

March 19, 2005

soul roundup :: sharon jones + dap-kings, al green, solomon burke, baby huey

(buy)

The last few weeks have seen the release of several soul albums of interest - one by a fairly new force, two by old masters, and a reissue of a lost classic.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings :: Naturally

It's the new kid on the block that comes out far on top. With their second album, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings have made one of the geniunely great records of the early year, and one that risks being criminally ignored as a minor genre exercise. Take my word: this isn't copyist revivalism. This is a soul/funk record that stands tall with any of its kin outside of the canonical core, and deserves a listen by any but the most postmodern music fan.

Chugging, clucking, chucking hard funk is the sound, recorded with mindboggling old-style warmth and authenticity; there must have incredible care taken to use original recording equipment - especially the early forms of reverb - and the results glow. The Dap-Kings are the kind of instinctively tight outfit that could be effectively recorded with one microphone in a shed; Gabriel Roth's pure love of sonic detail illuminates them perfectly.

Sharon Jones is one hell of a singer; the entire album is a vocal tour de force. Her very best moments come when she streteches out: the duet with "Little J.B." Lee Fields, "Stranded In Your Love", and the stupefying cover of "This Land Is Your Land". In her hands, the Woody Guthrie populist ballad is overtaken by a pair of consumed lovers as a declaration of sexual omnipotence.

The only thing left to do is see the Dap-Kings in person; replenish fluids regularly.

The Reverend Al Green :: Everything's OK

Al Green and Solomon Burke both issued excellent comeback discs in the past few years; they've kept right on going with their careers this year, with mixed results. In 2003, Al Green reunited with Willie Mitchell, the producer of his classic 70s discs, along with many of the original musicians (including drummer Steve Potts) to make I Can't Stop, which came very, very close to recapturing the magic. It simply didn't have quite enough strong songs to keep up - though it had plenty enough to make for a fine listen.

Everything's OK is the same cast of characters working the same sophisticated groove, and it may even have one or two more songs that stand on their own. However, without the novelty of comeback circumstances, its appeal will be limited to those who were left wanting more after I Can't Stop, or serious Al Green followers. Just like the last one, it's enjoyable all the way through, and it features some dazzling vocal performances - perhaps a notch up this time around. Unfortunately, I find the production a bit too crisp and urban; it was probably a conscious decision on the part of Willie Mitchell and Al to try a step forward, but the sound ends up less distinctive - except where Al simply overpowers tunes with his vocals, as on "Real Love".

You could do far worse, and if you're a particular fan of Al Green by all means pick this up.

Solomon Burke :: Make Do With What You Got

Solmon Burke's version of the comeback, Don't Give Up On Me was a beautifully smoky Joe Henry production featuring songs written specifically for the occasion by the likes of Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, along Messrs. Dylan and Morrison. It was one of the 5 best records of 2002.

Sadly, this new disc's title is a little too apropos. He's saddled with a producer - the inexplicably omnipresent Don Was - who has none of the talent for shaping and coaxing performances that Joe Henry does, choosing instead to set the controls for a homogenous, overcompressed sound. He's picked a batch of songs from the classic racks and has turned in what amounts to a mediocre soul covers record. There's a misreading of Dylan's "What Good Am I" (from Oh Mercy) as a popcorn Meters-funk tune. The Band's devastating "It Makes No Difference" and the Stones' "I Got The Blues" are songs it would be impossible to mangle, and they're fine here. Most other tunes are unremarkable. Mr. Burke's pipes also appear to have weakened a bit with the years (which brings him within range of mere mortals, but still in first class).

There is one out-and-out winner here: the little-known "Let Somebody Love Me". And, guitarists take note: Ray Parker Jr. gives a master class in soul comping all the way through.

Baby Huey :: Living Legend/The Baby Huey Story

Baby Huey is making a comeback from the grave with this CD issue of his only album (and I'm not sure if this is the first reissue or not). Huey, a quite large man with a even larger Afro, died at the age of 26 in drug-related circumstances. Had he the chance to keep making records, he might have been able to realize the potential of this rather scattered collection of stoner funk impresario-ed by Curtis Mayfield, whose touch is all over the record.

There's a reason this recording survives: the first track, "Listen To Me", belongs on any and every compilation of top-shelf psych-groove. It features all sorts of mayhem; you can hear the tape disintegrating as it tries to accomodate the
relentless burn. Even if I rarely spin the rest of the tracks, this one tune is a crucial discovery.

Otherwise, there's a bongsmoke version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Going To Come", with a gloriously unhinged vocal. Left over are some instrumentals and Curtis Mayfield covers which are largely unremarkable but undoubtedly prized by rare groove hunters and samplists.

~~Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings :: How Do You Let a Good Man Down? (mp3)~~
~~Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings :: This Land Is Your Land (mp3)~~
~~Al Green :: Everything's OK (mp3)~~
~~Al Green :: Real Love (mp3)~~
~~Solomon Burke :: Let Somebody Love Me (mp3)~~
~~Baby Huey :: Listen To Me (mp3)~~

Posted by borrowed_tunes at March 19, 2005 11:01 PM