Soul Man/May I Baby/Broke Down Piece Of Man/Let It Be Me/Hold It Baby/I’m With You/Don’t Knock It/Just Keep Holding On/The Good Runs The Bad Way/Rich Kind Of Poverty/I’ve Seen What Loneliness Can Do
Sam & Dave were one of the most prominent exponents of 1960s Southern soul, and the dynamic duo’s biggest hit single was the US No. 2 Soul Man which opens this album. (US:62 UK:32)
“The Stax band plays with their usual brilliance, but the real revelation comes from the men with the mics - vocal craft perfected to an almost absurd degree. Sam's earnest croon is central to the blushing charm of May I Baby, while Dave rips into the blues beat of I'm With You with untold grittiness. And when they intersect, especially on the ballads, memories of their stiffer past vanish in an instant.”
“Half of what makes Soul Men so essential lies in what it doesn't do; namely, there isn’t a single drop of filler in its bite-sized runtime. Every single track has something urgent and vital to offer, adding up to one of the most outstanding soul albums I've ever heard. To say it fulfils the potential shown on their debut would be a gross understatement.”
“Sam & Dave were two of the biggest pioneers of soul music, they really were awesome and it was obvious how much they must have influenced the entire genre. Their harmonies are remarkably tight and lovely, so soothing and peaceful they really had a smoothness to them, but at the same time they have a bit of grit behind the vocals. The actual songs are extremely good plus the instrumentation is perfect.”
“Maybe my favourite soul album. The first side especially is incredible. They never sounded better and the songs are so good."
“Riding high on the success of the superlative Soul Man single, it became obvious that the dynamic duo were also capable of churning out a perfect long player of 100% unadulterated Memphis fried Southern soul. Naturally, Soul Man kicks off the jam and may well be the finest way of starting a blissful musical journey. All in all, a perfect album, all killer, no filler. A Southern soul masterpiece by two of its most talented inventors.”
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