(Ain’t That)Good News/Meet Me At Mary’s Place/Good Times/Rome/Another Saturday Night/Tennessee Waltz/ Change Is Gonna Come/Falling In Love/Home/Sittin’ In The Sun/There’ll Be No Second Time/Riddle Song
Ain't That Good News was the final album from soul star Sam Cooke during his lifetime. Regrettably, he was one of several top performers who died at the peak of their powers during this period. (US:34)
"This album, which was sadly to be Sam Cooke's last, found him exercising a hard-won creative freedom to fine effect. You can hear it most clearly in the moving, socially relevant ballad A Change Is Gonna Come. But it doesn't stop there. Cooke dips into the well of country music for a version of the classic Tennessee Waltz that is startling in its transformative ability, as he accomplishes a feat that no one but Ray Charles himself was capable of at the time - turning country seamlessly into soul."
"Ain't That Good News was probably Cooke's best studio album. It's more diverse and exciting than Night Beat, his other indisputable masterwork. The songs here feature an artist exploding as a performer and composer. Every track breaks down some sort of musical barrier. It's like Cooke is taking the whole of popular music as his own. The title track is a kind of nod to the folk boom of the early 60s with a pop twist."
"If Cooke hadn't been killed in December 1964, this record indicates he would have given The Beatles a run for their money as the future of pop music. Like them this music is work that could appeal to teenagers as well as adults. But unlike The Beatles, Cooke's work resonated strongly with African-Americans."
"This wasn't sequenced and compiled as a concept album like Night Beat but still it's nice to hear a Cooke original from beginning to end." "Sam Cooke had one of the most incredible voices in music. His style had a strong influence on Rod Stewart. Lucky for us, we are still able to enjoy Sam's voice and songs today. For the casual fan this is a nice little introduction to his music."
"Years ago, by the score, I heard the title number sung by this great star, and it made my hair stand on end, the way all great music does."
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