"...Soul Love..."
In December 2017 - Missouri's Reggie Young will
be a sprightly 81 - and its odds on that you've never heard of the guy. Or have
you?
Revered as one of 'the' classiest of
finger-picking sessionmen across an astonishing six decades and a long-time
associate of Waylon Jennings Touring Band and go-to guitarist for Memphis
songwriting cool types like Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham - this elegant axeman's
US singles resume alone is a list so damn long that I could be here for days.
But check out these as tasters...and note how many are Soul classics or
Rock-Soulful in their nature...
The Dark End Of The Street - JAMES CARR (1966,
Goldwax Records 317)
The Letter - THE BOX TOPS (1967, Malo Records
565)
Skinny Legs And All - JOE TEX (1967, Dial
Records 4063)
Memphis Soul Stew - KING CURTIS (1967, Atco
Records 6511)
Cry Like A Baby - THE BOX TOPS (1968, Mala
Records 593)
Hooked On A Feeling - B.J. THOMAS (1968,
Scepter Records SCE 12230)
I'm A Midnight Mover - WILSON PICKETT (1968,
Atlantic Records 2528)
Son Of A Preacher Man - DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (1968,
Atlantic 2580)
Angel Of The Morning - MERRILEE RUSH and THE
TURNABOUTS (1968, Bell 705)
Memphis Underground - HERBIE MANN (1969,
Atlantic 2621)
Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So
Good) - NEIL DIAMOND (1969, Uni 55136)
Holly Holy - NEIL DIAMOND (1969, Uni Records
55175)
In The Ghetto - ELVIS PRESLEY (1969, RCA Victor
47-9741)
Suspicious Minds - ELVIS PRESLEY (1969, RCA
Victor 47-9764)
Kentucky Rain - ELVIS PRESLEY (1970, RCA Victor
47-9791)
Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues - DANNY
O'KEEFE (1972, Signpost SP-70006)
Drift Away - DOBIE GRAY (1973, Decca 33057)
I Can Help - BILLY SWAN (1974, Monument ZS8
8621)
Cajun Moon - J.J. CALE (1974, Shelter SR-40238)
Cocaine - J.J. CALE (1976, Shelter SR-62002)
The list above is only scratching the surface
so the pedigree is there for sure - but what's the album like? "Forever
Young" is seven Soul-Rock instrumentals - all guitar based with sweet
keyboard fills and tasty brass additions. Think Phil Upchurch's "Darkness,
Darkness" from 1972 (all funky guitar instrumentals), Dan Penn's "Do
Right Man" album from 1994 but minus the vocals, or John Mayer's more
soulful playing, Clapton's class in the last two decades or an all instrumental
J.J. Cale album done as he approaches his twilight years - and that's what
"Forever Young" sounds like (39:37 minutes).
1. Coming Home To Leipers Fork
2. Memphis Grease
3. Soul Love
4. Seagrove Place
5. It's About Time
6. Exit 209
7. Jennifer
Young's playing is slyly understated – never
overly flashy – just right - you could even call it chill-out George Benson
Soul. The 20-page booklet features liner news from the legendary COLIN ESCOTT that
includes an interview with the great man (Clapton name-checks Young as one of
the great players). Across the pages and beside photos of 3614 Jackson High
Studios – you get fascinating reminiscences about his extraordinary career and
contributions to so many memorable songs as well as insights into the solo
album that took him the whole of his life to get together. So why the four
stars instead of five?
While the sexy groove of the opener
"Coming Home To Leipers Fork" will undoubtedly seduce you and
smooth-as-silk "Soul Love" make you think the man is 30 and not 80 – Young’s
first solo album is not all great and a few of the five-to-six-minute cuts
simply amble rather than ignite. You keep wishing "It's About Time"
and "Seagrove Place" for instance had more in them tune-wise other
than sweet playing - and both could have lost those cheesy keyboard punches
that sound like something from a decade best forgotten. But the last two songs
- the hip and funky "Exit 209" and especially the ballad
"Jennifer" (dedicated to his wife who also plays Cello on tracks 1,
2, 4 and 7) are utterly superb - oozing class - beautiful picking - and sweetly
recorded too with all the warmth the songs deserve.
UK released 26 May 2017 - "Forever Young" by REGGIE YOUNG on
Ace Records CDCHD 1500 (Barcode 0029667079822) is not quite the masterpiece it seems to think it is -
but when it's good it's properly gorgeous - a sweet Soulful Guitar instrumental
CD that I can't seem to keep out of my player (sublime moments ahoy).
Congrats to one of the greats and all at Ace
Records for getting it and his staggering legacy out there...
