(Stax)

www.stax-records.com

It’s impossible to imagine Sam and Dave’s “Soul Man” without Steve
Cropper’s punctuating guitar run; the one that elicited Sam Moore’s
enthusiastic “Play it Steve!” ad lib, an excited utterance as indelibly
identified with the song as that lick. That handful of notes, perfectly
placed, exemplifies the efficient, self-effacing style Cropper so
soulfully employed during his years with Otis Redding, Booker T and the
MGs, and as house guitarist for Stax Records.

Felix Cavaliere is one of pop’s great voices and (not always the same)
great singers. Like Cropper, he knows just when to let loose and when to
pull back. His unique, almost clipped, phrasing, in drastic contrast to
the vocal histrionics that infect so much of what passes for R&B these
days, is the perfect complement to Cropper’s playing. Cropper practically codified rhythm and blues guitar, which, with one foot in the rhythm section, has traditionally taken a back seat to vocals. It’s a pleasure to hear him take a rare spotlight on the album’s instrumentals, especially “Full Moon Tonight” during which he alludes to that immortal “Soul Man” riff. When he and Cavaliere together are doing what each does so well (“Impossible”) it’s almost painfully good.

The two are backed by drummer Chester Thompson (Weather Report, Frank Zappa, Genesis) and bassist Shake Anderson (Earth Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield) for what is the first but should definitely not be the last collaboration between these two certified soul men. One can only ask: What the heck took so long?

Standout Tracks: “Impossible,” “Still Be Loving You” RICK ALLEN