There was a time when the term "southern soul" spoke volumes about the music you might be about to hear. There was a time when those words evoked the names of empires such as those found at Stax, Atlantic, King and eventually Malaco. Southern soul was the epitome of dynamite musicians going beyond technical proficiency and reaching deep into that unnamable internal region that gave performances a grit and grease that made you want to slip and slide, dance and glide. Southern soul was the epitome of fullblown, slick, but tight rhythm and horn arrangements. And, it was the epitome of singers singing their natural born you-knowwhats off! Think Johnny Taylor, Sam & Dave, Dorothy Moore, Denise Lasalle, Jimmy Hughes? It was that ether region where blues, rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues because something else- something that I once heard a guy describe as a feel that would make your toe curl up in your boot!
But, alas, for reasons too lengthy to get into right here, those days seemed to pass and the machines took over and drove the musicians out and along with them, those killer singers who need to feel the pulse of humanity to work their best magic. I'm not going to get into a rant about all that and depress you, especially given that help seems on the way. No, it's not John Connor set to do battle with the terminators. It's phenomenal blues singer Tina Diamond and renowned R&B bandleader JT Watkins breathing new life into a classic and at the same time the current near moribund southern soul scene. This modern day dynamic duo has resurrected Lowell Fulson's seminal "Tramp" that not only was covered by a ton of folks, but provided a signature bass line that became the foundation of many a soul hit back in the day. Ironically, it was a cover by an earlier king and queen duo that actually made the song a big hit. Back in 1967-a year after Fulson put his original out there-the legendary Otis Redding and his Stax label mate Carla Thomas, daughter of the inimitable father of southern funk, Rufus Thomas, put out a smoldering version of their own giving the tune a whole different twist with the back and forth banter between the sexes. Now Diamond and Watkins have put out an updated take on the tune that stays true to what many consider the definitive Redding- Thomas version, but with their own energetic thing into it.
First of all, where Carla almost seems playfully teasing Otis about being a no good tramp in the early version, Diamond sounds like she means business-like she's telling Watkins she's already found out he can't deliver the financial goods he promised and it's time to get to steppin'! Likewise, Watkins is strong in his defense of his position, giving this version- ooooooo, and this might sound blasphemous in some quarters- even more edge than Otis and Carla. Plus, Diamond and Watkins do an equally great job in the singing sections, although their version leans a bit more toward the blues side of the R&B flavor than previous versions. (You've got to give it to Redding and Thomas for the soul version and, well, you'd be hard pressed to find a version with more lowdown, raw funk than Fulson's original!) My friend and mentor, a real soul legend, Frank-O Johnson, told me I was going to love this one and I do. This is some killer stuff!
A word about the music: Respect where respect is due. Normally, I'm death on modern R&B and southern soul productions for a number of reasons I'll let you guess about. But, I've got to say this set really moves me, thanks to the expert production of the great Harrison Calloway who has reconstructed his own lovely version of the classic Stax arrangement. (Makes sense. Calloway was one of the originals from down there-a trumpeter in the FAME Gang at Muscle Shoals!) Frankly, this has to be among the absolute best modern southern soul productions I've ever heard. And, I challenge the average listener to tell me: "Is it really or synthesized?"
Okay, now I'm waiting for Diamond and Watkins to head back into the studio with a dynamite rhythm section, horns, guitars and the like and put out that soul album folks have been waiting for over the years. Hey, Tina, JT, can you hear me now? ~ Frost Illustrated
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