Search - Joe Henry :: I Believe My Soul

SOUL SUMMIT

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 05/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS ALBUM PRODUCED BY JOE HENRY BRINGS TOGETHER FIVE R&B/SOUL OLD-TIMERS: MAVIS STAPLES, BILLY PRESTON, IRMA THOMAS, ANN PEEBLES AND ALLEN TOUSSAINT.NEW MATERIAL, NEW ARRANGEMENTS, GREAT BAND PLAYING WITH THEM. RECORDED AT CAPITAL STUDIOS IN L.A. IN 2005, SADLY, BILLY PRESTON IS NO LONGER WITH US ANYMORE. PURE MAGIC. SHOWS EVERYBODY HOW THIS MUSIC IS DONE RIGHT. ANN PEEBLES' RENDITION OF BOB DYLAN'S "TONIGHT I'LL BE STAYING HERE WITH YOU" IS PURE MEMPHIS SOUL, AND MAVIS STAPLES' VERSION OF CURTIS MAYFIELD'S "KEEP ON PUSHING" IS MAVIS AT HER SOULFUL BEST. IRMA THOMAS SHINES ON "LOVING ARMS"."

The Freedom of My Chains

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 07/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found a used copy for a rock bottom price and thought I'd give it a spin. I'm sure glad I did. The music was recorded June 4-10, 2005. Late in the year 2005, Billy Preston slipped into a coma, never regained consciousness, and finally passed on June 6, 2006, one year after this was recorded. Of Preston's contributions, "Both Ways" has the classic soul feel with powerful instrumental backing.



I have four favorite tracks on the CD. Ann Peebles redefines the song "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" that Bob Dylan recorded for his album Nashville Skyline. She croons with a voice that sounds like a well of experience, "I can hear the whistle blowing; I see the station master too; If there's a poor girl in the street, she can have my seat, cause tonight I'll be staying here with you." Irma Thomas wrote "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" and records it here with Doyle Bramhall II on acoustic & electric guitar. In the middle of the song, the instruments break and percussion pounds like a heartbeat, "You think of love that's sitting on a mountain, think of it as being a great big rock, won't you think before you start it rolling, because once you start it, you can't make it stop." This is such an amazing track! Irma Thomas also takes Tom Jans' famous song "Loving Arms" that's been recorded by artists as diverse as Petula Clark, Rita Coolidge, Dixie Chicks, Dobie Gray, Millie Jackson, Elvis Presley and Livingston Taylor, and powers it full of emotion, "I've been too long in the wind, too long in the rain, seeking any comfort that I can; Looking back and longing for the freedom of my chains, lying in your loving arms again." Allen Toussaint's fluid piano on his instrumental "Turvalon" makes an incredible track. Toussaint's fingers pound the ivories with astounding agility. This CD that brings together five excellent artists including the amazing Mavis Staples is well worth seeking out. Bravo!"