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Lowell Fulsom - Soul (1966)

Track listing:
  1. Black Nights [1965] 3:34
  2. Talin´woman [1964] 2:32
  3. Shattered Dreams [1965] 2:36
  4. Sittin' Here Thinkin' [1965] 3:07
  5. Little Angel [1965] 2:09
  6. Change Your Ways [1966] 2:55
  7. Blues Around Midnight [1966] 3:08
  8. Every Time It Rains [1964] 2:52
  9. Just One More Time [1964] 3:19
  10. Ask At Any Door In Time [1966] 3:07
  11. Too Many Drivers [1964] 3:07
  12. My Asching Back [1966] 3:00
  13. Strange Feeling [1964] 2:56
  14. Trouble I´m In [1965] 3:14

Notes

Size: 79.5 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Japan 24-Bit Remaster

The title gets it right here -- as the album's as much a soul effort as a blues one -- and is a nice change from the sound of Lowell's earlier years! There's still plenty of grit in the grooves here -- and even with the front cover proclamation, the album's still one that's best filed in the blues racks -- but the album does show a great mixing of modes that was common for some of the west coast releases on the Kent label at the time -- the kind of south LA blend of sounds from the east mingled with the 60s changes going on in its own community.

Lowell's vocals have a hard-bitten edge that's totally great, and instrumentation includes some heavy piano and guitar, plus some of the heavier rhythms that point towards his famous Tramp sound to come. The album has a pretty nice soulful feel -- a bit rootsy, but also with some urban electric touches that go nicely with Lowell's vocals -- and titles include "Shattered Dreams", "Talkin Woman", "Black Nights", "Sittin Here Thinkin", "Every Time It Rains", and "My Aching Back". CD features 2 bonus tracks -- "Strange Feeling" and "Trouble I'm In".

Lowell Fulson was one of the early artists to blend the tough melodic sensibilities of the blues with the more accessible (but no less emotional) framework of 1960s soul, and his 1966 set, Soul, finds him walking both sides of the fence on these 12 songs. Of course, some of these songs were a lot more soul- (or blues) flavored than others, and ironically Fulson would dig deeper into a soul groove on his next album, Tramp; perhaps using this title was a bit premature for him.

For the most part, Soul sounds like straight-ahead blues session, through the bold horn charts on "Talking Woman" and "Change Your Ways" (among others) at once strengthen the arrangements and give it a more modern, uptown feel, while Fulson's vocals, rich without sounding heavy, certainly fit the boundaries of the soul idiom like a glove, and his guitar work is in fine fettle. Like a fine brandy, Lowell Fulson's best stuff manages to be potent and smooth at the same time, and that's just what he delivers on Soul.

01. Black Nights [1965]
02. Talkin' Woman [1964]
03. Shattered Dreams [1965]
04. Sittin' Here Thinkin' [1965]
05. Little Angel [1965]
06. Change Your Ways [1966]
07. Blues Around Midnight [1966]
08. Every Time It Rains [1964]
09. Just One More Time [1964]
10. Ask At Any Door In Time [1966]
11. Too Many Drivers [1964]
12. My Asching Back [1966]
13. Strange Feeling [1964]
14. Trouble I´m In [1965]