Sunday 17 April 2016

Night Beat –SAM COOKE****

Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen/Lost & Lookin’/Mean Old World/Please Don’t Drive Me Away/I Lost Everything/Get Yourself Another Fool/Little Red Rooster/Laughin’ & Clownin’/Trouble Blues/You Gotta Move/ Fools Paradise/Shake Rattle & Roll

Night Beat was soul legend Sam Cooke's most acclaimed album. It includes the US No. 11 hit Little Red Rooster, which The Rolling Stones would take to No. 1 in the UK the following year. (US:62)

"Cooke is backed by a small combo in a spare, tasteful manner. The overall musical feeling is also far removed from Cooke's poppier efforts, leaning strongly toward the jazzy blues end of the spectrum."

"This album is widely hailed as Sam Cooke's most intimate, soulful piece of work. It is miles apart from his pop-oriented, somewhat fluffy (but still wonderful in their own way) hits that most people would instantly recognize."

"Cooke's vocal performance is astounding technically and often deeply moving throughout. The songs are rock solid, and the performance captivating. It finds Cooke reaching deeper into himself than he did on any other album, expanding our notion of his depth and capabilities."

"Very hard to trundle out enough superlatives for this one. The spacious, full sound is warm and inviting, as well it should be. Cooke's singing is uncanny, not of this world in its beauty. This is, in short, a classic."

"A gem. It's one of those records that transcends genre categories, simply because of the calibre of the musicianship. Sheer artistry is the order of the day. From beginning to end, the architect of soul music is without equal in these 38 minutes of bitter-sweet agony. The listener is raptured up in this dismal, grey, dark, bitter, regretful, unforgiving, at times comical tornado of human emotion."

"His voice is raw and natural like molasses and just as sweet. When he sings of the pain of loneliness and love lost, I truly believe him and actually feel sorry for him. The evocation of such a response is just what a real soul singer is supposed to do."

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