Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

4'5 Almost Perfect - But In Need of More Otis Songs

Otis Redding represents Southern "Deep Soul" more then anyone, with it's brassy arrangements and it's energic resolute vocals always delivered with alot of emotion and passion. The kind of Soul that Otis sang derive as much from Gospel then it does from Blues. In a time where alot of artists represented the manufacted Motown, Otis worked for Stax and he was also able to write his own music once in a while, even if that wasn't the standard for any albums at the time. The talented Georgian got a Pain in My Heart and The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads both albums gained modest success but would enentually have a huge influence on White British Rock bands such as the Rolling Stones that wrote the song "Can't Get No (Satisfaction)" under the infleunce of his music. Otis always toured constantly and eventually the interest for the young singer grew bigger. In 1966 he recorded his moist famous albhum thus far, "Otis Blue", generally regarded as one of the greatest classic Soul albums of all time. The album is a classic cause Otis is finally chosing which direction he wants to follow and the album itself manage to become a crossover hit. Together with Booker T. & the MG's Guitarist and occasional songwriting partner Steve Cropper and keyboardist/arrangers/procucer Isaac Hayes they create one of the finest Soul album of it's time. The deliverence in lyrics is just as immense as the impressive arrangements and together they're unstoppable. But there is one problem stopping it from pefection, only 3 out of 11 songs are Otis Redding originals where the rest are covers. Well, Most albums looked like this at the time, and Otis makes a great job on whatever he performes but it's hard to make a fair judgement when the covers are some of the most famous songs of all time.

The opener is called "Ole Man Trouble" and was written by himself, one of his best songs for sure. The second song needs no further presentation cause it's "Respect" tha song that he first wrote and Aretha made her own. A cover of his recently deceased idol Sam Cooke (died in December 1964), the political civil rights song "A Change Is Gonna Come" that also Aretha covered by the way is amazing. Otis version is delivered with more Soul while Cooke producers did what they could to make him a pop star. Still, I prefer Cooke's version. A Salomon Burke cover of "Down In The Valey" is also good and seem taylormade for his own style. The Otis penned "I've Been Loving You Too Long" proves he's also capable of performing ballads but unfortunately this was the last song he wrote for this album. Sam Cooke's "Shake" is performed in classic Otis manner with alot of energy and passion and is good aswell. Temptations "My Girl" is rather simular to the original while Cooke's third song "Wonderful World" is better under Sam's guidance. "Rocky Me Baby" is very bluesy and was actually written and perfomred by blues legend B.B King. Reddings version of "Satisfaction" is undescribably good, even if it's a hard to compete with a classic's classic like this he's very close this time. Closer, "You Don't Miss Your Water" a cover of a William Bell song is a ballad, a pretty good one.

Overall, Otis Redding is an excellent performer and icon for classic Soul, and while this is one is coherant packed with good songs of classic Soul, it suffers from Otis originals, "Respect" is excellent for instace but he should have included more personal songs cause he was a good writer. However, I still recommend it to anyone interested in classic Soul and in a perfomer that gives 101% of his energy in every cut, but if you want to explore his genuine songwriting gifts, look elsewhere. What's even more tragic is when he was finally getting more mainstream success and finding his own path with more personal material he died from a plane crash in 1967. His posthumous single "(Sittin On) the Dock Of The Bay" reached #1 on the charts in 1968 and became a immortal Soul classic, but at that time he wasn't around to celebrate it. Who know's what he would've amount to later in his career. However, This album is a good start in getting to know the man and his legacy. June 7, 2008

as good as it gets

I lost my old tapes of Otis Redding so I was thrilled when I found this CD. I have another CD that is similar and I just can't find anything bad to say about either one. I was lucky to see him up close at Basin Street West in the 60's (San Francisco) not long before the tragic plane accident. It was the best performance I have ever seen BAR NONE ! This Cd is not as good as that experience but if I close my eyes and no one else is around it brings me back to that night, almost . August 11, 2007

A curiously overrated album (in my opinion, anyway) from a great musician

There's no question about it: your soul colletion isn't complete without some Otis Redding in it. The man created more than his share of masterpieces, cranking out brilliant slabs of R&B by the pound. His voice was a (nearly) can't-fail mixture of grit and emotional resonance. He was also a charismatic performer and an excellent songwriter; his final single, "(Stittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" is simply one of the most heart-breakingly beautiful songs of all time, a work of devestating genius that has, on multiple occasions, reduced me to tears.

Having said that, I simply can't reccomend this album as the soul masterpiece that other people seem to think it is. Granted, it has some fantastic moments- "Ole Man Trouble" is a superb midtempo ballad with some pleading vocals, slashing guitars, and a hypnotic rhythm. His version of "Rock Me Baby" drips with raw, salivating sexuality, and "Respect" (which would, of course, soon be covered by Aretha Frankin") is a rousing anthem with some pounding drums and a great horn line. Plus, Otis' voice is full of infectious passion. There's also a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" that transforms the song into a relentless, gritty R&B basher. Again, Redding delivers an incredibly exuberant vocal- just listen to those verses!

The problem with this album, however, is that there are far too many tracks here that are little more than filler. My biggest gripe is with Otis' version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." Now, the original was an absolute masterpiece, a soul-crushing heart-shredder that's every bit as powerful as "Dock Of The Bay." Otis' rendition isn't terrible, per se, but it robs the song of virtually all of its supernatural power. He remains faithful to its haunting, mournful melody, but sings without any of Cooke's emotional directness. He darts around the lyrics, adding little asides that ruin the focus of the song. He also tinkers with the lyrics, undermining Cooke's brilliant wording. The result is a castrated rendition of a masterpiece, one that strips the original of its cathartic power while contributing nothing new to it. Aside form that, there's an unexciting "Down In The Valley," and the overly sugary "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (sorry, I know it's supposed to be one of his best, but it just doesn't do anything for me). Also, his by-numbers take on "My Girl" isn't going to replace the Temptations' version.

The songs that I haven't already disussed are pretty good, but not exactly revelations: "Shake" has some inticing rhythms, but can't sustain its excitement all the way through, and "Wonderful World" similarly overstays its welcome. "You Don't Miss Your Water" fits the R&B archetype to a tee- which means that even though it's performed expertly, it feels like you've already heard the blasted thing a billion times before.

So, it's a pretty good album. I feel somewhat odd, seeing as how I appear to be the only person who doesn't absolutely adore it, but... eh, what're you gonna do? July 26, 2007

Otis!

Tired of what passes for soul these days? Had enough of Destiny's Child, John Legend, etc.? Then let me tell you about Otis Redding. This is the man who penned Respect - yeah, so Aretha's version is definitive, but his ain't too shabby either. This also contains Otis' first big hit, the oft-covered I've Been Loving You Too Long, which has survived being butchered by the Rolling Stones - out of its many covers, it's best heard here. And speaking of the Stones, Otis' version of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction is a surprisingly good reading of the just rock classic, especially considering it's a fine example of record company prostitution - the Rolling Stones had hit big with it a few months prior to this album's release. Otis' is funky, soulful, etc. And how about the bluesy Ole Man Trouble? Man, that song's a killer. "Don't want you, Ole Man Trouble, don't need you, Ole Man Trouble..." damn! Is that soul, or what? Two cool Sam Cooke covers (Shake and Wonderful World) round this classic album out. I enjoy every song (with the possible exception of a rather limp My Girl), and this is one of my favorite Soul LP's. February 22, 2007

****3/4. One of the all-time classic soul records

I don't know if "Otis Blue" is the greatest 60s soul record ever released, as some have suggested, but I'm convinced it must be in the top-10.
"Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul" is a bit brief by today's standarts, and I do prefer the Stones' own version of "Satisfaction" to this one, but virtually every thing else is terrific. The arrangements are lean and uncluttered but suitably muscular, and Otis Redding was not the least of the many fine vocalists of soul's "golden age".

Redding is equally convincing on slow, gospel-like tunes like "A Change Is Gonna Come" and up-tempo soul stompers like "Respect", and he receives excellent backing by guitarist Steve Cropper and a tight four-man horn ensemble (two trumpets, two saxes).
Highlights include almost every song. A gritty, grinding "Down In The Valley", a rarely-compiled cover of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World", the aching ballad "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "Shake", a driving dance-friendly party tune. Whether or not the blues classic "Rock Me Baby" benefits from this arrangement depends on how you feel about blues to begin with, I guess, but Steve Cropper's playing is certainly very good.

Some of Otis Redding's best self-penned songs are here, like "Ole Man Trouble" and the aforementioned "Respect" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and while a good case can be made for the "Dock Of The Bay" being Redding's best original album, I think this one deserves a tie at least.
"Otis Blue" should not be missing from any self-respecting soul collection. Music collection, really.
It's got a beat and you can dance to it. Ot just sit there alternately swaying and bopping your head like a deranged pigeon. July 28, 2006

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