Saturday, January 31, 2004
Various Soul Reissues
In the early days of the recording music's weekly news source, Billboard Magazine, popular recordings by black Americans were charted as 'race records.' That's modified over the years to include terms like Soul, R-n-B, and now the generic catch all, 'hip hop.'
When I think of soul music, like most white middle class Americans, I think of Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. When I listen to today's "hip hop" I wonder what happen to those great heartfelt melody lines? Because of its reliance on rhythm today's "rap" music is a much closer cousin to the blues than most would care to admit. Interestingly, like generations before us, parental whites are rejecting the rap culture much like our grandparents probably rejected blues and soul music to our parents and our older siblings. Interesting how the wheel turns.
As noted in earlier writings, the Fuel 2000 record label is, hands down, the most exciting re-issuer of great music from the past including their razor sharp focus on the blues genre.
Artist: Otis Clay
Title: Testify
If one mentions soul music and Otis is the same breath the legendary Otis Redding comes to mind immediately; but wait, there was another. One of the recent nuggets thrust back into the market is a twenty-two track compact disc by soul music's "Other Otis", Otis Clay. Like so many great soul singers of the 50's & 60's (Redding, Franklin, Cooke, Rawls), Clay came to popular music through the church. On this release, 'Testify, Clay binds his Chicago blues roots & gospel to Southern soul and the result is some fantastic archival soul. Heavy on the horns and thick with great heartfelt melodies, this is a Soul Music fan's diamond in the rough. Clay continues to record and tour with recent albums on Rounder and Echo records.
Artist: Candi Staton
Title: Candi Station
Another reissue gem is the Astralwerks over seas licensing of a self titled compilation release by Candi Staton. Born in Alabama and raised in the church Staton was touring as a professional singer while still in school backing up Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, The Staple Singers and the Soul Stirrers. Eventually Staton would meet and marry noted blues man Clarence 'Strokin' Carter. Working with the FAME record label at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio, Staton recorded some genre defining music. If you're like me and have already assimilated the music of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and the Stax label and still want more, Candi Staton could very well be the cure for what ails ya.
Some other quality soul reissues & compliations are;
Aretha Franklin, The Queen in Waiting, Four Stars
The Cream of Vintage Soul Volume 1 Three+ Stars (3 discs for $9.99)
The Cream of Northern Soul Volume 1 Three+ Stars (3 discs for $9.99)
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