Pain In My Heart – OTIS REDDING***

Pain In My Heart/The Dog/Stand By Me/Hey Hey Baby/You Send Me/I Need Your Lovin’/These Arms Of Mine/Louie Louie/Something Is Worrying Me/Security/That’s What My Heart Needs/Lucille

Pain In My Heart was the debut LP from the renowned soul singer Otis Redding. Booker T & The MGs provide the spirited backing. He would become the dominant soul artist of the mid sixties. (US:103)

"After Otis Redding made his mark on the top 100 pop charts with his 1963 single Pain In My Heart, he released a debut album of the same name the following year that showed this Georgia soul singer to be no flash in the pan. The bulk are covers that either pay homage to influences like Sam Cooke and Little Richard, or ride on the coat tails of recent hits by Don Gardner, Dee Dee Ford and The Kingsmen. Although Redding's interpretive skills were impressive, his early, self-penned material such as These Arms Of Mine and That's What My Heart Needs were an even greater representation of his burgeoning talent."

"When listening to Pain In My Heart there is no denying that Otis hit the ground running with this excellent set of soulful gems."

"While some of it is unremarkable filler material, Redding's Something Is Worrying Me and the excellent Security make this disc worth a listen. The backing band is Stax's legendary rhythm section, Booker T & The MG's."

"At the time, Otis hadn't completely found his groove yet, so the album is fairly inconsistent. However, it's interesting to hear the seeds of what he would become, and his wonderful singing on the slow numbers was already in fine form. It stands as a promising debut record that's enjoyable but not essential."

"Otis Redding, at about 22 years of age, sounds a bit more restrained than on subsequent albums, and he relies rather heavily on covers, but this is far from a sugary pop record. He may not let loose quite as much as he would a couple of years later, but there is no mistaking the hoarse, gritty, powerful voice, and the arrangements are pure tough soul."

"The soulistic singer had not quite found his style on this first go around. But Otis has a unique, passionate voice, especially during down tempo love songs. His voice reaches out and grabs your soul out of your chest."