I don't know what it means that as years go by I find myself increasingly enamored by classic soul music. Just as the malnourished crave the very food their bodies need, maybe my burgeoning interest in soul is my spirit's not-so-subtle way of telling me what it's been missing. At any rate, I've been thrilled in recent years by James Brown, Percy Sledge, Etta James, Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson, Solomon Burke, Candi Staton, and their very worthy white counterpart, Van Morrison. But when I really need a fix, no stars sit as high in my sky as Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Rightly or wrongly I see in them the fundamental elements that make soul what it is. From the former, we get that injection of gospel he honed with the Soul Stirrers. From the latter, we get that gruff sound, that deep southern sensibility marinated in the blues. Listen to their live work and you'll know that both could tear the roof off a club. Both could pen lyrics fit to break your heart. With this album, Redding shows off not only his songwriting and vocal virtuosity, but his comfort with diverse styles. At turns he is plaintive, gritty, thrilling and always, always charismatic. Unsurprisingly, "Try a Little Tenderness" is the standout track. His patient restraint as the song builds and builds towards its crescendo suggests an artist in full control of his craft, someone whom Yeats might say has "come into his force." But there are other equally amazing moments: his back and forth with the horn section on "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)"; the way he summons such believable emotion on "My Lover's Prayer"; the effortless cover of "Day Tripper," which, along with his amazing take on "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" elsewhere, shows he could have just as easily done some moonlighting as a rock singer if his day job hadn't panned out. Lastly, I have to mention how much I love "She Put the Hurt on Me." Rarely has such pain sounded like such fun. Also, Peter Gabriel fans will laugh when they hear the opening of "I'm Sick, Y'all" and find out where that iconic "Sledgehammer" horn intro likely came from. There is one more connection between Cooke & Redding, too. One died on Decembert 10th and one on December 11th, though four years apart. Both went far too early. Who knows what they might have had in store? Grade: A
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