Excellent collection of Otis Redding hits
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The title track of course was Otis' biggest hit but not, in my opinion, his best.Some of the other tracks demonstrate Otis' ability to wring emotion out of the most ordinary ballad or completely revamp an old standard making it his personal vehicle.Tracks such as 'I Love You More Than Words Can Say', 'Open The Door', 'The Glory Of Love', 'Nobody Knows You (When You're Down And Out)', and 'Ole Man Trouble' display the pained, fragile quality of his voice that fans had come to love. 'The Glory' can be seen being performed on the latest dvd to be issued celebrating Otis' Life:'Dreams To Remember-The Legacy Of Otis Redding'.Well worth the money to any Otis fan.Back to the cd! All of the above ballads have their own merit with perhaps 'I Love You More etc.', 'Open the Door', & 'Nobody Knows You' being my particular favourites. Difficult to choose when you adore everything the man put out in his career.Tomorrow it will be three completely different tracks, but that was Otis' appeal or talent, he had something for your every mood. Years ago when I was co-editor of 'Sweet Soul Music' magazine, a spin-off from the Otis Redding Appreciation Society formed by John Stewart,we sold to a diverse range of countries proving that Otis' sound cut across the boundaries.The uptempo tracks I love, in particular 'The Hucklebuck', a standard song that Otis jumps aboard and drives like a steam engine through the various towns and clubs mentioned. Great horns and rhythm section see this one all the way home!'Let Me Come On Home' is a thumping, driving belter of a song with drummer Al Jackson, Jnr.,the backbone of Stax, beating the life out of his kit and guitar legend Steve Cropper laying down one of his finest pieces of work.'Don't Mess With Cupid', written by Cropper,Eddie Floyd, and the wonderful Deanie Parker,who I had the great pleasure of meeting back at the Stax Show in London back in 2005, is in a similar vein as the previously mentioned track.A driving, pulsating beat carries the song through with the Big 'O' grating and bubbling his vocals into the mix. Superb!'I'm Coming Home To See About You' is taken at a slightly less feverish pace than the previous track but loses nothing in terms of delivery. This type of upbeat number was the trademark of the man's 'live' performances and his ability to whip an audience into a frenzy clearly comes across even from the vynil (or should I say CD!)The track 'Tramp' has never floated my boat. In fact the whole 'King & Queen' album leaves me cold to be honest.Carla was a fine singer in her own right, that is not in question. The whole project just seemed to me to be hurriedly put together and track selection not the finest element. At the time of issue, of course, we were just pleased to get our hands on more precious 'Soul Music'.Overall, a fine example of Otis' work without being, in my opinion of course, his best set. That debate has gone on for the past 30 to 40 years and will never be settled.'Otis Blue'?,'Otis Sings Soul Ballads'?,'Live In Europe'?, all classics in their own right as were all of his releases.My personal favourite though is the set that came out in '68, 'The Immortal Otis Redding', the majority of which is in the so-called 'new' style of Otis' singing. Some people maintain that he had adopted a 'softer' vocal approach to his new material. I personally think it had more to do with the throat operation the previous summer.Alas, we'll never know. Ray'mate'KemptonRead full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on CDs