At age 62, from high atop his throne, the "King of Rock 'n' Soul" sent out a decree: I'm recording a new album and I need you to write some material. And his loving followers responded. This, the resulting album, has been rightly compared to Johnny Cash's American Recording series - a collection of first-rate original material and covers, performed slowly with sparse instrumentation, by a legendary singer whose voice has deteriorated a tad but that deterioration only exposed another layer of emotion. Special mention for the incredible organ playing by Rudy Copeland. Add in guest artists Daniel Lanois and the Blind Boys of Alabama, and you've got a deservedly critically-acclaimed album (Metacritic has it rated at 85) and winner of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #138
Tracks: My top picks are Fast Train, Soul Searchin', Stepchild,and None Of Us Are Free.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember this got a lot of playing time in my car during the summer and fall of 2002, then (stupidly) not many spins since. I'm guessing the problem was that I was listening to the album in my car instead of it's proper listening location, the back porch. That's an easy fix.
Previously revisited for the blog:
The Very Best of Solomon Burke (1998)
Wouldn't have guessed this one got any plays in the soft rock kid's jukebox but glad to be wrong. I'll see you on the porch, sir.
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