Night Beat is a nearly-perfect album that happens to be inside-out. I say "inside out," because it almost follows the arc of a live show, only in reverse. From the twelfth track to the first, Sam Cooke & company go from "late" to "later" to "last call" to "last chance" to "late for church." Beginning at the end with the bawdy barn-burner "Shake, Rattle & Roll," the whole band gets behind him on the chorus to raucous effect. And while it's definitely a strong song to close on, it would have worked even better as an opener, if only to get the sweat out of the crowd as the clock heads for the wee hours. From there, Sam and the boys could settle into the slow dances of "Fool's Paradise" and "Trouble Blues." Then, he could devastate the place with the minimalist blues of "Lost and Lookin'" (which may be the best song by Cooke you've never heard) and a return to his roots with the The Soul Stirrers on "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." It is a traditional gospel song that he makes all the more classic with his plaintive rendering backed by a gently jangling guitar. What you don't hear on this album is almost as interesting as what you do. There is a profound lack of soloing. In fact, the instrumentation at all times - with the regrettable exception of "Little Red Rooster" - is complementary, but not conspicuous. Cooke takes full advantage of the space his band affords him, filling the cavernous studio with his rich, pure tones. Call it the "Well of Sound" approach. Even on "Laughin' and Clownin'," where he instructs his pianist to "tickle" the keys for him, he augments the moment with some playful vocal runs. Almost every available surface is lacquered in Cook's sweet, soulful voice. And with singing like that, why wouldn't they be? "Little Red Rooster" is a solid cut, to be sure. It's the only one that also appears on the excellent 31-track career retrospective Portrait of a Legend, 1951-1964. Here, though, it seems just the tiniest bit out of place. The band comes closer to the forefront and, at one point, the organ player even mimics the sounds of dogs a-barkin' and hounds a-howlin', like a rock 'n' roll version of "Livery Stable Blues." It belongs in the song only slightly more than actual canine accompaniment. Still, this is a minor misstep in an otherwise inspired set. Night Beat provides further proof to the amply-supported thesis that Sam Cooke knows soul, backwards and forwards. Grade: A
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