Album of the Day
Beat & Soul
Like its predecessor, BEAT & SOUL finds the Everly Brothers delivering a set of superb rock and R&B covers. Regarding the former, the 1965 Warner Bros. set offers nods to Little Richard (“The Girl Can't Help It”) and Mickey & Sylvia (“Love Is Strange,” a minor U.K. hit), while the soul side includes then-recent songs by The Impressions (“People Get Ready”) and Rufus Thomas (“Walking the Dog”). The brothers contribute only one original, but it's a great one; “Man With Money” would itself be covered by several British beat groups. Phil & Don's immaculate harmonies are complemented here by instrumental work from a dream team of session players – James Burton, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell and Billy Preston among them. As BEAT & SOUL celebrates its 55th anniversary this month, it's time to give one of the Everlys' more underrated albums a closer listen.