Southern Avenue Tells Us Don't Give Up

Southern Avenue
Stax Records

In the new Stax Records group, Southern Avenue, one can hear a variety of blues, gospel and soul influences on their self-titled debut recording. Southern Avenue is comprised of Memphis-born, church-bred sisters Tierinii and Tikyra Jackson, respectively a soulful, charismatic singer and a subtle, powerful drummer; guitarist Ori Naftaly, an Israeli-born blues disciple who first came to America as an acclaimed solo artist; versatile jazz-inspired bassist Daniel McKee; and the band's newest addition, keyboardist Jeremy Powell, an early alumnus of Stax's legendary music academy. Guesting on the group's self-named 10-song album are Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and trumpeter Marc Franklin of the Bo-Keys.

One hears echoes of the Staples Singers with the opening message song "Don't Give Up," with Tierinii's fervent vocal with supporting vocals and Naftaly's atmospheric searing slide. It is followed by a the funky groove of "What Did I Do" introduced by a guitar riff before the heartfelt song of giving her man her best and need to make things right. And like the rest of the recording, the simple, strong groove anchors powerful vocals with horns embellishing the performance and help the tension build. Then there is a lovely soulful ballad "Love Me Right." "80 Miles From Memphis" is a peppy rocker where Tierinii sings about crying her blues away because she is away from home as she has stones in her passage and only ten dollars in her pocket as Naftaly throws in with a rockabilly-tinged solo an additional delight. Tierinii's vocals remind me of Shemekia Copeland sharing similar tonal qualities and poise.

The one cover, Ann Pebbles' "Slipped Tripped And Fell In Love" seamlessly fits in with the band's originals, and has a nice piano break from Jeremy Powell. "Peace Will Come," another Staples Singers' styled message song closes this excellent debut recording, by a group that you can certainly expect to hear much more about.

I received my review copy from Concord Records. For folks in the Washington DC area, they are appearing at Jammin Java in Vienna Virginia on Sunday evening, February 26, http://www.ticketfly.com/event/1401833-southern-avenue-stax-records-vienna/. Here is a video of them performing "Don't Give Up."

Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign Even Better Remastered

The latest addition to the Stax Remasters series of Concord is the classic Albert King album, Born Under a Bad Sign. Previously reissued on CD in 2002, this latest remastered edition includes five previously unissued bonus tracks. Originally issued in 1967 it was amongst the earliest blues albums I purchased (I may have bought it in mono not stereo) and still remains among my favorite blues albums of all time and is one of those blues records that truly are essential.

Originally comprised of three singles along with five songs from another session, King backed by Booker T and the MGs and the Memphis Horns, the album contained a number of recordings that became staples of the blues and rock world including the title track, Crosscut Saw, The Hunter, As The Years Go Passing By, and Laundromat Blues. Whether first recorded by King or not (such as Crosscut Saw originally done by Tommy McClennan and then The Birmingham Blues Boys, or As The Years Go Passing By originally performed by Fenton Robinson for Duke), King placed his stamp on every tune including the unexpected delight of his take of the Ray Noble ballad The Very Thought of You.

The album’s impact can be seen by Cream’s cover of the title track as well as Ike and Tina’s cover of The Hunter (with Albert Collins on guitar), and covers of his music that continue to today. This album as much as any Albert King album displays the strength of his vocals as well as his guitar playing with his tone and nuanced playing. Included are alternate takes of the title track, Crosscut Saw (with an additional chorus at the end), The Hunter, and Personal Manager, as well as an untitled instrumental. In the liner booklet, Bill Dahl provides an astute overview of the music. Michael Point’s notes from the previous reissue along with Deanie Parker’s original 1967 liner notes also are included. As I previously stated, Born Under a Bad Sign is an essential blues album, and this Stax Remasters release improves on its earlier CD reissue.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a video of Albert performing Born Under a Bad Sign.

Johnnie Taylor Took Care of Homework at the Summit Club

Originally supposed to appear at the Watts Summer Festival that was memorialized in WattStax: The Living Word, Johnnie Taylor was recorded a couple days later at a Los Angeles club that has been just issued on Stax, Live at the Summit Club. While three of the performances had been previously issued, there are six previously unissued selections.

As Lee Hillebrand notes, Taylor had put much of his blues repertoire in mothballs after the 1968 success of Who’s Making Love, but as Rufus Thomas notes in his intro of Taylor, “When you speak of blues, this is a man who knows ‘em from the letter A to the Letter Z.” And despite band miscues at the start and plenty of ragged edges, Taylor opens with a storming rendition of Take Care of Your Homework, where he advises men to take care of things at home ‘before your good thing is gone,’ followed by one of Taylor’s two classic Stax blues, Little Bluebird, where Taylor demonstrates what a great blues singer he was, and followed by a ragged intro of the great blues ballad, Steal Away, as Taylor says “we’re gonna set this groove here.”

I Don’t Want to Lose You is a terrific love ballad, followed by Who’s Making Love, where he gets the audience involved in a call and refrain. Hurry Sundown is another signature Taylor slow blues with great lyrics and followed by a stronger rendition of Steal Away. The album closes with Taylor’s hot soul workout on Jody’s Got Your Girl and Gone, ending over an hour of hot buttered soul-blues.

A very welcome that is part of the celebration of Stax’s 50th Anniversary and the labels reactivation.

This review originally appeared in the April 2007 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 292). I received a review copy from a publicist for the label.

Here is Johnnie performing Little Bluebird a few years before he passed away.

Booker T. & the M.G.s' Classic Green Onions

A recent release in the Stax Remasters series of reissues from Concord is Green Onions by Booker T. & the M.G.s. It includes 24 bit remastering of the 12 selections from the original 1962 sessions along with a couple of 1965 selections from Los Angeles’ 5/4 Ballroom. This is of course one of the great instrumental bands of all time with Booker T. Jones on organ; Steve Cropper on guitar; Al Jackson drums and Lewis Steinberg on bass (who would be replaced by Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn by the time they played the 5/4 Ballroom).

The album exhibits the crisp, clean playing that was particularly a virtue as they served as the house rhythm section on so many classic Stax recordings. The title track was an instrumental hit for the band and served as the basis for Sonny Boy Williamson’s recording of Help Me. If the organ Jones played could sound Rinky Dink, to cite the title of a track, he effectively took the lead with Cropper laying down crisp chords and single note runs with Steinberg and Jackson providing the bottom. The cover of Ray Charles’ I Got a Woman, sounds stronger than that of Twist & Shout, while Mo’ Onions, is a greasy instrumental that has some of the same feel as the title track.

The soul of this time was not that far removed from the blues as Jones’ late night playing displays on Behave Yourself, while Acker Bilk’s “Stranger On The Shore,” is a but more schmaltzy. There is a cover of Doc Pomus’ Lonely Avenue, played with a bit of restraint, while Dee Clark’s raver I Can’t Sit Down, might have benefited from a bit fuller sound in performance. This is not to say its a poor performance, but rather not as explosive as it could have been. The closing selection on the original release is a moody rendition of the instrumental Comin’ Home, Baby, that Herbie Mann had a hit with.

Added to the original release are renditions of Green Onions and I Can’t Sit Down. The latter number Paxky Axton’s saxophone. Both performances exhibit considerably more fire than the studio recordings and are more than welcome additions to the original album which. The booklet with this reissue reproduces Bob Altschuler’s original notes along with Stax Historian Rob Bowman’s more recent cogent comments.

I received my review copy from the label or a publicist. Here is Booker T. & the M.G.s performing Green Onions.

Shirley Brown's Classic Woman to Woman

Amongst recent reissues in Concord’s Stax Remasters reissues is the classic album Woman To Woman by Shirley Brown. Brown had one of the last big records for Stax (although on the Truth subsidiary) and the title track with an opening rap about calling this woman that Shirley found her number on a piece of paper in her man’s pants and then singing to tell the woman she will do everything to keep her man. Exhibiting a powerful gospel-rooted vocal, she delivers a commanding vocal performance.

The Arkansas native was brought to Stax by Albert King with whom she he performed shows with. On the album she was backed by a band that included Al Jackson Jr. on drums; Bobby Manuel on guitar; Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on bass; Marvell Thomas on piano; and Lester Snell or organ with the Memphis Horns, and supporting vocals and orchestra. And they are present for varied material including It Ain’t No Fun, where she sings about her man coming home and acting just like a friend and that it ain’t much fun living by oneself and the one you love loves another. The song incorporates a rap in the middle.

A different mood is present on the Caribbean flavored groove of Long As You Love Me, as she lets us know she’ll be all right and she delivers this in a bit more relaxed vein. Jerry Ragovoy penned Stay With Me Baby, and Brown’s strong cover of the Lorraine Ellison original leads one to speculate how she might have handled other Ragavoy songs such as Piece Of My Heart and Cry Baby. More heat is present on Frederick Knight’s I Can’t Give You Up, with a relaxed rhythm.

Five tracks are appended to the original release. Yes Sir Brother, with a strong dance groove, is from the same sessions that produced the original album. There are three covers of Aretha Franklin recordings of which Ain’t No Way benefits from being less familiar than Respect or Rock Steady. Not that these are bad recordings, but they are overshadowed by Aretha’s original recordings and influence. The disc closes on a lengthy reworking of Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, I’m Yours, opening with a rap before she starts digging into the Stevie Wonder classic at a lumbering tempo and pouring out all her heart into her vocal. The tempo picks about 2/3 of the way through with the brass adding fuel to her vocal fire.

Included are the brief original notes as well as Lee Hildebrand’s notes to a 2008 English reissue and a more recent consideration from Billboard’s Gail Ellison that add background to what is contained but as Ellison whote “Stop reading and start listening.” Fans of Stax and souther soul who don’t have this in previous reissues will certainly want this excellent reissue.

I received a review copy from a publicist or the record label. In more recent years Shirley recorded for Malaco and here is a video of her performing.

Staples Singers Stax Classic Remastered

The Staples Singers had a very distinguished career prior to signing with Stax, but it was with the famed Memphis label that they obtained far wider notice than simply gospel singers. Concord’s latest Stax Remasters includes the Staples classic Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, an album that extended their musical reach from gospel to message songs with an uplifting messages. This was the third album on Stax for the Staples and the first produced by Al Bell who had signed the group to Stax. After two albums with Booker T and the MGs, Bell decided to take them down to Muscle Shoals and used that famed studio band and then later mixed at Ardent Studios as opposed to Stax’s own McLemore Avenue studio.

Be Altitude: Respect Yourself is the album that produced two of the songs they are most identified, Respect Yourself and I’ll Take You There, which one trusts many are familiar with. These still are part of Mavis Staples’ live performances and were the heaviest hitters of the many chart records the Staples had for Stax. There are so many pleasures on this besides the great vocals by Mavis and family members, the stellar studio bands and Pops Staples guitar.

Rob Bowman in the booklet notes the origins of Respect Yourself, a collaboration between Sir Mack Rice and Luther Ingram, and how Bell made some changes most notably the tempo. In any event, the recordings still resonate four decades later and for those who passed on the album when it cam out can savor other delights like the Covay-Stevenson-Pickett groover, This Old Town (People In This Town), as the message of We The People, have to make the world go round and better and get let things get wild, the Sweet Inspirations This World, and Pops Staples Who Do You Think You Are (Jesus Christ the Superstar), a slow number which obviously alludes to the famous musical of the time. Two rarities are added to make a strong reissue of the Staples at what rob Bowman rightfully suggests was their peak.

My review copy was provided by the record label or a publicist for the release.

Booker T and MGs Classic Tribute To The Beatles

Part of the latest batch of Stax Remasters is “McLemore Avenue,” the Booker T and The MGs album inspired by The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” with the cover showing thegroup walking across the Memphis location in a manner echoing The Beatles on the cover of “Abbey Road.” Ashley Kahn, in the accompanying booklet, observes how the album was conceived by Jones after hearing the Beatles recording. He was struck by the recording and its unbridled musicality, especially the “unusual musical snippets”that dominated side B of the album.

“McLemore Avenue” was the first time that the four had not recorded together as guitarist Steve Cropper was involved in another project, so after Jones, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn and Al Jackson Jr recorded the basic tracks, Cropper joined Jones at Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood to overdub his parts and then to Memphis where he mixed the recording with John Fry at Ardent Studios.

The album comprised of three medleys based primarily on the melodic snippets but also incorporating one of the songs from side A so the album opens with various snippets such as “Golden Slumbers” and “Carry the Weight,” along with “Here Comes The Sun.” and concludes with a medley including snippets “Hello Mr.Mustard” and “Polythene Pam” along with “She Came In The Bathroom Window. On the original album, there was a self-contained rendition of “Something” that was also issued as a single. Its fascinating to listen to them shift tempo and mood as they work through the medleys and also appreciate how spare, yet full their playing was. Cropper’s stinging guitar runs set against the sometimes lush organ of Jones.

This reissue is augmented by the reissue of six Beatle covers that they had recorded prior to McLemore Avenue, including interpretations of “Day Tripper,” “Michelle” and “Lady Madonna.” Listening to these one is struck how restrained the interpretations are and how melodic they were. An interesting chapter in the group’s history.

My review copy provided by publicist for the record company.

Classic Johnnie Taylor Is Taylored In Silk

One of the latest of the Stax Remasters coming out from Concord, who currently owns the Stax Catalog, is a reissue of Johnnie Taylor’s Taylored in Silk. The eight tunes on the original 1973 album have been supplemented by six additional tracks. Taylor already had several hits and albums on Stax before Don Davis joined the label from Detroit where he helped give a different twist than the more strictly Memphis sound of Taylor’s earlier recordings that often were anchored by Booker T. and the MGs. Bill Dahl provides the historic overview in the annotation to the booklet.

Davis’ use of strings add a definite urbane sheen to selections like the remake of Little Willie John’s Talk To Me, as well as revisiting Mel & Tim’s Starting All Over Again. One of the centerpieces for this album was the Sir Mack Rice gem, Cheaper to Keep Her, with its infectious bass line and the streetwise cynicism of a lifetime of alimony. Another gem is Davis’ ballad We’re Getting Careless With Our Love, which, along with the beautiful I Believe In You, displays why Taylor was getting past being simply known as a blues belter (although a great one) and becoming “The Soul Philosopher.” A lush arrangement supports Taylor’s wonderful reading of This Bitter Earth, known from Dinah Washington’s recording.

The bonus tracks include “Hijackin’ Love, with its insistent groove; Standing in For Jody, another installment in the “Jody” saga; Shackin’ Up, a funky groove underlying its straightforward, unapologetic lyric and the bluesy two-part “Doing My Own Thing” with Eddie Hinton and the Muscles Shoals Jimmy Johnson sharing the guitar.  This is pretty strong stuff in addition to the original recording. Taylor was one of the great soul and blues singers, which this remastered reissue makes that clear.

My review copy was provided by the record company.

Concord's Quirky Albert King Reissue

Concord Records has just issued a two-disc compilation of the legendary Albert King’s recordings for Stax, The Definitive Albert King on Stax.” It is compiled from a number of the recordings the late great bluesman recorded for Stax and Fantasy although it does not include selections from all of the King recordings. 34 recordings are compiled on the two discs and Bill Dahl provides the informative annotation.

This is an interesting, if at times, curious compilation which includes Pops Staples and Steve Cropper vocals from a Stax 45 from the sessions King did with them (but hardly definitive Albert King), but not include performances from some of the excellent live albums from Montreux and the Fillmore that Fantasy issued under the Stax logo. A number of performances are credited to their 45 release such as Born Under a Bad Sign, Oh Pretty Woman, Crosscut Saw, I’ll Play the Blues For You, Everyone Wants To go to Heaven and Angel of Mercy, but a forgettable Honky Tonk Woman, is taken from an album Lovejoy. The 45 version of Blues Power is included as is a live rendition of Match Box Blues.

Amongst such indispensable blues recordings as Crosscut Saw, Breakin’ Up Somebody’s Home, I Wanna Get Funky, That’s What the Blues Is All Bout, and Drowning on Dry Land are lesser King performances such Hound Dog, Honky Tonk Woman and a remake of Crosscut Saw. Certainly some of what was included might have been cut for say one of King’s riveting renditions of Ray Charles’ I Believe To My Soul, or one of his collaborations with Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Albert King is one of the most influential blues artists of the past several decades and his Stax comprise the most substantial part of his legacy. A better selection of material would transformed made a very good collection into a superb one.


My review copy was supplied by the record company.

Bo Keys Royal Memphis Soul

Its been a number of months (maybe years) since I received the CD “The Royal Sessions” by the Bo Keys (Yellow Dog Records) and uploaded the music into itunes. This morning, December 27, I decided to give this CD of Memphis Soul, listen on my Mac. Bandleader and bassist Scott Bomar formed the Bo-Keys as an homage to the quintessential Memphis sound. In creating The Bo Keys, he recruited other players including Charles 'Skip' Pitts, long-time guitarist with the late Isaac Hayes; trumpeter Ben Cauley from the Bar-Kays and only member of that band to survive the December 1967 crash that killed Otis Redding and fellow members of the band; drummer Howard Grimes and organist Archie "Hubie" Turner, both from the Hi Rhythm Section along with some younger members of the Memphis music scene.


“The Royal Sessions” were recorded in Spring 2003 at the late Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis and the resulting CD was issued by Yellow Dog in 2004. Musically its an affectionate exploration into their hometown Memphis soul sound, although the somewhat laid back feeling gives it more of the restrained Hi sound of more recent years as opposed to the Stax sound of the mid-sixties through the early seventies. No ripping instrumentals light “ Last Night” or “Soulfinger,” but plenty of nice grooves. “Coming Home Baby,” was at one time a staple of blues bands and this Herbie Mann recording is slowed down here for a steamy ride followed by “Deuce and A Quarter,” which conjures up some classic Stax with the horns while Jimmy Smith’s “Back at the Chicken Shack,” opens with some chatter among band members as the group takes the classic to a slow-drag tempo. It is followed by the James Brown, passing the peas and gravy, funk of “Doin’ it To Death.” “I remember Stax,” is a reflective, low-key instrumental with the rhythm setting the table while the horns add punch.


Not to say that this is an indispensable release, but it is quite nice to hear the mix of veterans and young turks together putting together these solid groove and keep the classic Memphis Soul Sound alive.

The Bo Keys with Ben Cauley with trumpet, Charles 'Skip' Pitts on guitar at the 2008 Ponderosa Stomp

I likely received this from either the label or a publicist for Yellow Dog Records.

Two Blues Icons Producing Some Musical Magic

A December, 1983 television production “In Session” in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada featuring Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan has become legendary. The music has been been available for years (and Stax reissued it a few years back) as has been video of the television broadcast. Now Stax has issued a deluxe DVD/CD set of “In Session” that includes three previously unissued performances on the DVD which had been left out of the original broadcast because of time constraints. The previously unissued performances of signature songs of Albert, “Born On A Bad Sign,” and Stevie Ray, “Texas Flood,” along with Albert doing the blues standard “I’m Going to Move to the Outskirts of Town.”

While they had previously played together at Antoine’s in Austin,Texas, this session was performed not too long after Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas Flood,” was released. In the liner notes for this new release of this material Samuel Charters writes, “It was evident from the first choruses, that they were playing for each other. And that was the best audience either of them could ever have. The music never lost its intensity, its quality of something very important being handed back and forth and there was time for Stevie and Albert to see where their ideas took them.” It is a joy to watch the two interact, accompanied by Tony Llorens on piano and organ; Gus Thornton on bass; and Michael Llorens on drums. They were the rhythm section on the two albums King recorded for Fantasy in the mid-eighties..

Watching and listening to them, it is clear that Albert is the mentor and Stevie Ray, his student as Albert recalls seeing Stevie and talking about others who play a lot of nots but lack soul, but Stevie was always watching and learning. Albert handles the bulk of the vocals and one watches them trade extended solos and play rhythm for each other. The vocals may be a tad restrained at the beginning of the performances, but as they get into them and get into their solos, their is some truly magical moments. At times, one can’t hear where Albert’s playing begins or ends from that of Stevie Ray as Vaughan’s playing here clearly shows King’s influence on him in the phasing and tone. Yet at other times, Vaughan’s playing is more in the vein of the post-war Texas blues guitar tradition.

The smiles they give the other’s playing and the hug by the two at the end of the performance shows that they realized just how magical the performances were. It was the last time they would share the stage together, and now all the magic of that December day in Hamilton is finally available. It is available for purchase on November 9, 2010.


For purposes of FTC regulations, my review copy was provided by the record company.

New Huey Lewis CD is Memphis Soul Tribute

For the first release in several years, Huey Lewis and the News, have produced a tribute to the classic Memphis soul sound an Stax Records on the aptly titled “Soulsville” (Wow Records). Reunited with producer Jim Gaines, they recorded this CD at Ardent Studios and a collection of songs mostly associated with Stax, although some from the recently departed Solomon Burke and Wilson Pickett who were on Atlantic Records, which had a distribution deal with Stax for a number of years.

Lewis and his band is an affable band and do an earnest job on handling a pretty wide range of material including a nice rendition of The Staples’ “Respect Yourself” which has a singer sounding much like Mavis Staples joining Huey on the vocal. Certainly the groove is there as he redoes “Got to Get You Off My MInd,” or the Wilson Pickett burner “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You.” The playing is idiomatic and the overall effect is a very good blue-eyed soul cover band with a good singer who obviously loves the material. However, well-intentioned this tribute is, comparisons to original recordings is inevitable and these suffer in comparison.

The review CD was sent by a publicity firm for the release.

Otis Redding's Live Show Dazzled L.A.

Its been over forty years since Otis Redding perished in a tragic plane crash. One of the stars of the R&B circuit, Redding was starting to become a major cross-over artist at the time of his death. He had toured Europe and was a major sensation at the Monterey Pop Festival. The future was looking bright when tragedy struck with a plane crash after a Cleveland, ohio appearance. After his death, besides the release of his biggest recording, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” Atlantic issued “In Person At the Whiskey Au Go Go,” which presented ten performances from a 1966 stint at the famed Hollywood Club (Taj Mahal and the Rising Sons were the opening act). Another dish of Otis from this engagement appeared on LP and then CD. Now Concord has issued a double CD of the last three sets from Otis’ Whiskey appearance, “Live on the Sunset Strip” (Stax). Liner notes by Ashley Kahn provide the context for Otis and his band (that included Katie Webster on keyboards).

With respect to Otis Redding, the music is terrific. What can I say. There are any number of staples of his repertoire from “These Arms of Mine,” I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” the Stones’ “Satisfaction,” “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “Respect,” and “Mr. Pitiful.” Some of these songs are heard in several renditions like “Satisfaction,” and “Chained & Bound,” and with his strong band, he tears things up. I presume that much of this was issued on the prior two live recordings, but there are some previously unissued tracks, and this reissue presents the compelling performances in the order in was heard by the audience. Over four decades later, Otis Redding’s music remains as gripping as when he performed on the Whiskey’s stage. Obviously those having the earlier reissues may not need this, but others who love “Sweet Soul Music,” will want this.


This was received from the publicity person handling this release.

Little Milton's Stax'd Best

After the sale of Chess to GRT and its eventual demise, the best place for Little Milton was to join the Stax where he produced several albums before that legendary label also folded. Milton may be best known for this Chess/Checker recordings as well as the Malaco recordings after Stax folded. But its clear listening to the reissue “The Very Best of Little Milton,” this was as musically fertile a period of his recording career as any.

And checking out some of the titles he recorded for Stax shows why. Among the classics he recorded for Stax were “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” “Walking the Back Streets and Crying,” and ”Little Bluebird.” Then he made his own renditions of songs associated with others like “Tin Pan Alley,” or “Women Across the River,” and place his own stamp on them. And perhaps the most classic in this vein was his interpretation of Charlie Rich’s country hit, “Behind Closed Doors,” but given Rich’s strong ties to Southern blues and soul, it is no surprise his songs translated so well when handled by a strong soulful blues performance by Milton.

Milton’s impassioned vocals and strong guitar playing is matched by typically fine backing, from among others, The Memphis Horns, and the use of strings is complementary, not syrupy here. This is a strong compilation of one of the true blues masters who passed away too young.

For purposes of FTC regulations, I do not remember if I received a review copy of this or purchased this.

Taylor's Good Love Was Good Soul & Blues

Johnnie Taylor was one of the great soul and blues singers of the past five decades (emphasis for the eurocentric editors of the Penguin Guide who exclude a whole genre of contemporary blues because they consider it soul music, yet they somehow cannot similarly weed out blues-tinged rock recordings). The following is a slightly modified review that originally appeared in 1997 in Jazz & Blues Report.

Issued in 1997 Johnnie Taylor’s Malaco album, Good Love, was another latest installment of a remarkable musical career that started when he replaced Sam Cooke in the legendary gospel group Soul Stirrers. It continued with recordings for Cooke’s SAR label as well as his glory years with Stax where he recorded soul and blues classics like Who’s Making Love and Cheaper to Keep Her. Later he was with Columbia, where he recorded the smash Disco Lady. Today he continues performing and recording with Malaco, recording some of the best soul and blues in the Stax vein. Good Love made the Billboard Blues charts with its mix of southern soul, soulful ballads and blues typical of his Malaco recordings. George Jackson’s fine composition Last Two Dollars, is a strong blues about a lady who has lost everything at a casino and asks the soul philosopher for two dollars so she can pay the bus fare home and will have enough to play the juke box while she waits, so she can hear some down home blues. I suspect this number will resonate strongly in the gambling venues in Mississippi. The title track and Sending You a Kiss, are ballads were written and arranged by Charles Richard Cason, although they share what sounds like programmed accompaniment. The rest of the album was recorded at Muscle Shoals and Malaco’s Jackson, Mississippi studios with Clayton Ivey, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood and Roger Hawkins among the studio band. While the backing on the Cason tracks may not appeal to some ears, little fault can be found with Taylor’s singing on these, or elsewhere on this collection of new recordings. Another George Jackson number, the ballad Walk Away With Me, has a melodic line that loosely suggests, Dark End of the Street, while Sam Mosely and Robert Johnson penned the fine blues Too Late to Try to Do Right, which shows that one doesn’t have to start out at full tilt to put the lyric over. The pair also penned Slide On, a number that should go over well with urban audiences that groove and dance to the electric slide. Ain’t That Lovin’ You (For More Reasons Than One) is a duet with his daughter Tasha that establishes her as a talent to keep an ear out for. There may be a couple of weaker songs, and the wonderfully sung This Masquerade, stays too close to George Benson’s hit version. But, even with a few production lapses and a couple of weak lyrics, this album is evidence of just how vital a singer the soul philosopher still was.

Essential Albert King

Albert King was one of the most important and influential blues artists from the sixties until his death, and had a number of great recordings including two highly influential albums. One was the Stax release, Born Under a Bad Sign that Fantasy reissued in 2002. This record is still currently available. Here is a review that appeared in the October-November 2002 issue of Jazz & Blues Report.

Fantasy Records which acquired Stax Records sometime ago has reissued the classic Albert King album, Born Under a Bad Sign. This 1967 album was the first album by King for the Memphis label and matched King with a studio band centered around Booker T & the MGs. This was a highly influential recording which, along with Kings mid-seventies album I’ll Play the Blues For You, included a number of songs that became part of the core blues repertoire and shaped how so many artists played the music. Songs include the title track with its great line, “If it wasn’t for bad luck I would not have any luck at all,” the remake of the delta blues Crosscut Saw, with a hot rhythm section and blasting horns, the jaunty The Hunter, with stinging guitar and the bravado line about pretty women being King’s game, the classic blue ballad As the Years Go Passing By, and Personal Manager, where he tells his lady how he would love to manage her affairs. King delivers the vocals and plays some classic guitar mixing long sustained notes with short staccato runs. His sense of phrasing and use of silence is something setting him apart from his many imitators and those influenced by him. The liner notes focus a bit too much on King’s influence on Stevie Ray Vaughan, but the fact is that even as spectacular a guitarist as Otis Rush, who had already made some classic recordings a decade earlier, incorporated elements of King’s style into his own approach. This is an essential disc although much of it might have been previously issued on CD on Atlantic as King of Blues Guitar.