Album of the Day

Before his death in a 1967 plane crash, Otis Redding had cut enough material for several posthumous releases, and LOVE MAN is the third of these. These recordings might not have seen release before the 1969 Atco collection, but that doesn't mean they’re sub-par; Redding's protean talent (and that of backing band Booker T. and the M.G.'s) beams from every one of these dozen songs. Originals make up the bulk of this set, with “Direct Me” “I'm A Changed Man” and the title track among the highlights, but even the covers (“A Lover's Question”) have an energy and commitment few singers of any era could equal. The King of Soul was born on this day in 1941 and in his honor, we’ll cue up the Top Ten R&B hit LOVE MAN.