Booker T. Jones Comes Home with "The Road From Memphis"
Booker T. Jones Comes Home with "The Road From Memphis"
I've been excited about Booker T. Jones' new record "The Road from Memphis" since I watched him play one of NPR's "Tiny Desk Concerts" a few weeks ago.
"The Road from Memphis" is a homecoming record. It's a return to Booker T.'s funky Stax-era sound, loaded with deliberate, joyful, sexy melodies lovingly teased from a giant Hammond B3 organ.
The best tracks on the record are the ones that stick with his classic formula of instrumentals like "The Vamp", "Rent Party" and "The Hive". Booker T.'s cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" is so effortless and natural that I immediately want to know what would happen if he and Cee-Lo ever shared a stage.
Booker T. assembled an impressive supporting cast for "The Road from Memphis". The record was produced by the Roots' ?uestlove and Sharon Jones, Lou Reed, Jim James and Matt Berninger of The National are featured on the vocal tracks.
Unfortunately, though, the vocal tracks are where the record falters. Though Jim James (listed as Yim Yames) is great on "Progress", and Sharon Jones' voice is a natural fit for Booker T.'s sound, an aging Lou Reed sounds a little lost singing about the Bronx's funkiness (especially on a record that's largely about Memphis). I'm still trying to figure out whether or not the version of Biz Markie's 80's hip hop single "Just a Friend" is awesome or just awkward.
There are a few songs about Memphis on the record - Booker T. sings "Down in Memphis", which is lyrically similar to the record's other Memphis vocal, "Representing Memphis". In terms of inspiring hometown pride, both songs come off a little trite. Maybe that's because it's hard to talk about Memphis in a way that captures exactly what this place is and why it's so special.
Regardless, if you're looking for a good crowd-pleasing summer soul record for your next throwdown, "The Road from Memphis" delivers.
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