CD - Solomon Burke: Nashville

Burke always had a clear affinity with country music - much of the best of his Atlantic output in the 60s defined early country soul. Ray Charles may have got most of the credit for putting the two together but Solomon got there first with releases such as 'Just Out Of Reach'.

It's not too surprising therefore to see this latest release in Burke's "comeback" plunge headlong into the authentic country sound of Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris, amongst others. What makes this different from his 60s output is that this is very obviously a country album by a great soul vocalist, not a country soul hybrid. Produced by Buddy Miller, it's full of country ballads and the odd honky tonk, with country orchestration and genuine country accompaniment. For the most part it works well - stand outs include 'That's How I Got To Memphis', 'Valley Of Tears', and 'Till I Get It Right', where Solomon's soulful vocals and phrasing are heard to best effect. A couple of the more up-tempo numbers are a little weak ('Seems Like You're Gonna Take Me Back' was never a great song anyway) but overall the album works well as Burke immerses himself fully in the country idiom.

Buddy Miller's recording and production are first rate, intimate and very naturalistic. Solomon's singing is as full bodied as in his 60s heyday, although perhaps the control is not quite as it was, sheer power replacing the subtleties of his very best recordings. If you warmed to "Don't Give Up On Me" or "Make Do With What You Got" you'll enjoy this. Better than most anything that usually passes for soul in 2006!

At the time of writing, there are two versions of this CD available - the "Buy Now" link takes you to the cheaper of the two

December 2006