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The Soul Album

The Soul Album
Studio album by
Otis Redding
ReleasedApril 1966[1]
GenreSoul
Length33:56
LabelVolt/Atco[2]
Producer
Otis Redding chronology
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
(1965) 		The Soul Album
(1966) 		Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
(1966)

The Soul Album is the fourth studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding, released in 1966.[1] It features Redding performing songs that he co-wrote, as well as covers of songs by such musicians as Sam Cooke, Eddie Floyd, Roy Head, and Smokey Robinson. Guitarist Steve Cropper contributed guitar on the album, and is also credited as the co-author of three tracks.[3]

The Soul Album entered the Billboard LP charts upon its release in April 1966,[1] and made the Hot 100 chart in June.[4] The album peaked at number 54 in July, and remained among the 100 best-selling albums until autumn.[1] It spent 28 weeks on the US R&B albums chart, peaking at number 3, and reached number 58 on the US pop and rock charts.[5][additional citation(s) needed]

Cover art

The cover of The Soul Album was designed by Loring Eutemey of Atlantic Records.[1] According to author Jonathan Gould, the album's cover photo "drew a stark contrast with the racial obfuscation of Otis Blue [Redding's previous album] by presenting a full-color portrait of a strikingly beautiful African American model wearing a head scarf and a coy half-smile, her warm brown eyes staring directly into the lens."[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]

Bruce Eder of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing that it "shows [Redding] moving from strength to strength in a string of high-energy, sweaty soul performances, interspersing his own songs with work by Sam Cooke ("Chain Gang"), Roy Head ("Treat Her Right"), Eddie Floyd ("Everybody Makes a Mistake"), and Smokey Robinson ("It's Growing") and recasting them in his own style, so that they're not 'covers' so much as reinterpretations [...]".[3] Eder also refers to the track "Cigarettes and Coffee" as "the jewel of this undervalued collection".[3]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Just One More Day"Otis Redding, Steve Cropper, McElvoy Robinson3:31
2."It's Growing"Smokey Robinson, Warren "Pete" Moore2:47
3."Cigarettes and Coffee"Jerry Butler, Eddie Thomas, Jay Walker3:53
4."Chain Gang"Sam Cooke3:04
5."Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"James Cox3:11
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Good to Me"Redding, Julius Green3:51
7."Scratch My Back"James Moore2:42
8."Treat Her Right"Roy Head, Gene Kurtz2:11
9."Everybody Makes a Mistake"Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell3:23
10."Any Ole Way"Redding, Cropper2:34
11."634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)"Cropper, Floyd2:49

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Gould, Jonathan (2017). Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life. Crown Publishing Group. p. 329. ISBN 978-0307453945.
  2. ^ Ober, Chick (November 28, 1966). "Mariachi Brass Rivals Herb Alpert". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. "The Soul Album - Otis Redding". Allmusic. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  4. ^ "Atl. Comes on Like Chartbusters". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 23. June 4, 1966. p. 3. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Waring, Charles (April 1, 2021). "'The Soul Album': Affirming Otis Redding's Enduring Magnificence". UDiscoverMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.


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