Album of the Day

Though Otis Redding was all but crowned the music's king by the 1966 release of THE SOUL ALBUM, the Atco collection pays tribute to a range of R&B royalty. Redding was a gifted songwriter as well as a powerhouse singer and he co-wrote 3 of the 11 songs here, including minor hit “Just One More Day.” If you didn't know better you'd swear the rest were his as well, so lived-in are his impassioned versions of favorites from The Temptations (“It's Growing”), Sam Cooke (“Chain Gang”), Slim Harpo (“Scratch My Back”) and others. With backing musicians including Booker T. & the M.G.'s and Isaac Hayes, the instrumental work is as outstanding as the vocals. Sandwiched between landmarks OTIS BLUE and DICTIONARY OF SOUL, this set is sometimes overlooked but make no mistake - THE SOUL ALBUM is a stone cold classic.