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BEYOND
by Frank-John Hadley
Soul Serenades
The black church-rooted pop music of
redeeming joy and sometimes angry
frustration—soul—is experiencing a
renaissance these days. Among the
notables in the midst of the action
with a new release is Stax old-timer
Eddie Floyd, whose Eddie Loves You
So (Stax 3079; 37:12) ★★★ 1 /2 has been
produced with respect to the
Memphis soul tradition by drummer
Ducky Carlisle and Radio Kings guitarist
Michael Dinallo. Floyd’s in good
voice most of the time, linking up
emotionally with lyrics to high-quality
songs of romance he wrote in recent
years, during the Stax ’60s and ’70s
era or in the late ’50s as a member of
the pioneering soul band the Falcons.
Ordering info: concordmusicgroup.com
If fans of Simply Red, the British
pop band, are spurred to download songs
by soul eminence Bobby “Blue” Bland
because of Mick Hucknall’s Tribute To
Bobby (Atco 511844; 37: 35) ★★★, then
Hucknall has succeeding in making the
world a smarter place. He handles himself
well singing a dozen Bland nuggets, personally
involved with the words—no harm
that his voice is way higher than the husky
baritone of his idol. The modern sheen of
the production passes muster.
Ordering info: rhino.com
Mike Mattison, singer with the Derek
Trucks Band, and guitarist-singer Paul
Olsen have kept a imaginative soul-roots
outfit called Scrapomatic going the past
decade. In his soft but solid voice, Mattison
spit-shines the kid-leather songs he and
Olsen penned for Sidewalk Caesars
(Landslide 1037; 48:38) ★★★ 1 /2 with dark
charm. Both are unusually good songwriters.
Olsen makes like a young Levon Helm
singing the Band-esque “Hook, Line And
Sinker.” Trucks appears on two others.
Ordering info: landsliderecords.com
Don’t hold vocalist Robbie Dupree’s
mainstream chart success in the 1980s
against him. The pop-soul of his new Time
And Tide (RD Music 05; 41:36) ★★★ melds
relaxation and stimulation in melodic tunes
with intelligent words he concocted with
former E Street Band keyboards player
David Sancious. To good advantage, they
favor some of the same chords as Steely
Dan. Dupree’s falsetto has something of
Curtis Mayfield’s about it.
Ordering info: robbiedupree.com
The new documentary on Curtis
Mayfield and the Impressions—Movin’ On
Eddie Floyd:
Memphis tradition
Up (Universal 0010887; 180:00) ★★★★—
succeeds in getting across the musical and
spiritual importance of the trio to black
America through 19 song performances
(1965–’73, several after Mayfield went
solo, including “Superfly”) and articulate,
observant interviewees like Mayfield (who
died in 1999), his wife, Altheida, civil rights
activist/ambassador Andrew Young,
Chuck D, and Impressions Fred Cash and
Sam Gooden. It’s hagiography, worship
with nary a dissenting word, but well
worth your time. The DVD also includes an
hour of bonus songs and talk.
Ordering info: reelinintheyears.com
Now in her late 60s, Irma Thomas
doesn’t sing with the pitch command of
years past, but on new songs and classics
picked out by the Soul Queen of New
Orleans and producer Scott Billington for
this acoustic set with 12 pianists, Simply
Grand (Rounder 11661; 55:59) ★★★, that’s
faint complaint. She holds one’s attention
with sophisticated presentations of emotion,
especially alongside Dr. John, Henry
Butler, Randy Newman, Marcia Ball or Ellis
Marsalis. There are several overblown
new songs, though.
Ordering info: rounder.com
Singer Felix Cavaliere, of Rascals fame,
and legendary Stax guitarist Steve
Cropper disappoint with their collaboration,
Nudge It Up A Notch (Stax 30789;
48:13) ★ 1 /2. While both at times show a
direct connection to inspiration as performers
and songwriters, they’re failed by
production and mixing that contemporizes
soul music garishly.
DB
Ordering info: concordmusicgroup.com
September 2008 DOWNBEAT 81