I Thank You – SAM & DAVE***

I Thank You/Everybody Got To Believe In Somebody/These Arms Of Mine/Wrap It Up/If I Didn’t Have A Girl Like You/You Don’t Know What You Meant To Me/Don’t Turn Your Heater On/Talk To The Man/Love Is After Me/Ain’t That A Lot Of Love/Don’t Waste That Love/That Lucky Old Sun

I Thank You was the first Atlantic album from dynamic soul duo Sam & Dave. Although it failed to reach the US album chart the title track single reached No. 9 in the States.

“I'm rather stunned that these proto-Philly tracks come off as well as they do. The presence of strings and a smoother guitar rhythm could have drowned these two giants out, but it only seems to have emboldened their vocal chutzpah.”

“The title track shows a drier, more aggressive sound that gives Dave in particular an even nastier edge. He carries that through most of the other songs, leading to the duo's most balanced release in terms of vocal presence.”

“The arrangements and production here are a just bit smoother, with some strings, than their earlier LPs. However, that said this is still the real deal. The last in a line of nearly flawless soul LPs. All killer, no filler.

“I Thank You offers the title track and a great version of These Arms Of Mine, and preposterously, agonisingly brassy and funky tracks such as Wrap It Up and You Don't Know What You Meant To Me for the latter. The storming Ain't That A Lot Of Love can potentially belong to either, varying from person to person. You can even usually count on the ballads holding up, leaning more towards howling desperation than sugary sweetness.”

“Sam & Dave are a duo I've heard mentioned many a time as one of the great soul artists, but yet I couldn't have named a song they had performed (except Soul Man). It's a cryin' shame because they are really fabulous, extremely soulful, with a bit of grit to them, and they harmonize, so I can see why they were so important.”

“These are some of the best tracks that Sam & Dave ever recorded. I imagine by this time in their partnership they were at the top of their game. I Thank You sounds like a greatest hits package, but it definitely grooves like an album.”