The Staple Singers - Be Altitude: Respect Yourself CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Few groups have had the longevity of the Staple Singers. Fewer yet have managed to do it while completely changing styles more than once. The Staple Singers started out as a gospel group in the 1950s, before turning to folk music and protest songs in the 1960s. After signing with Stax in the late 1960s, the Staple Singers moved from protest music to "message music," as Mavis Staples put it. The songs were still socially conscious, but didn't beat the listener over the head with their message. The music also infused more of a soul and R&B flavor to it. The pinnacle of this period arguably came with Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, which featured three top-ten R&B hits.

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Johnnie Taylor - Taylored In Silk CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

By the early 1970s, the late Johnnie Taylor's sound had evolved from gospel singer to blues singer (he was known as Johnnie Taylor The Blues Wailer for a time) to smooth soul singer. Producer Don Davis had been brought in from Detroit to try and create a hybrid between the legendary Motown and Stax sounds, the results of which are plentiful on 1973's Taylored In Silk.

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Booker T. And The M.G.'s - McLemore Avenue CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Booker T. and the M.G.'s cut their teeth as the house band for Stax Records, backing legendary soul and R&B acts such as Otis Redding and Sam & Dave and helping to define the Memphis sound. They also released a number of instrumental singles and albums, but it was keyboardist Booker T. Jones' interest in the Beatles that led the band to one of their more ambitious projects, McLemore Avenue.

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Ben Waters - Boogie 4 Stu: A Tribute To Ian Stewart CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Ian Stewart was one of the unsung heroes of rock 'n' roll. A founding member of The Rolling Stones, he was dismissed from the touring lineup by manager Andrew Loog Oldham for not looking the part. Undeterred, Stewart continued to play on the band's albums and serve as their road manager. Later, with Oldham no longer the band's manager, Stewart returned to the concert stage for various tours between 1969 and 1982 as one of the group's pianists. Stewart died in 1985 and the band paid tribute to him by insisting on his inclusion when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Bill Evans - The Definitive Bill Evans On Riverside And Fantasy CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Bill Evans was one of the great innovators of modern jazz piano. It's no stretch to say he's had at least some influence on virtually every pianist to follow his innovative lead. From his days with the Miles Davis sextet to his years as a solo artist, Evans accomplished more than most in terms of furthering his genre. The Definitive Bill Evans On Riverside And Fantasy collects 25 tracks from a 21-year period from this jazz legend.

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Miles Davis - The Definitive Miles Davis On Prestige CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Collecting the works of Miles Davis can be a daunting task. The jazz giant had dozens of albums and was at the forefront of numerous jazz movements, many of which were radically different from one another. From 1951 to 1956, Davis recorded for the Prestige label, transformed his sound from Cool Jazz to Hard Bop and led some of the greatest bands in 20th century music. Twenty-four of these recordings are collected on The Definitive Miles Davis On Prestige.

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Ray Charles - Live In Concert CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

The word genius gets tossed around a lot when referring to musical artists, with some more deserving of the honor than others. When people referred to the late Ray Charles as a genius, however, rarely was it more appropriate. Charles was a master of multiple genres seldom seen before or since, mixing R&B, big band, jazz, gospel, country and rock 'n' roll into a blend uniquely his. After playing with smaller combos throughout the 1950s, Charles assembled a 15-piece band in 1961. Originally released in 1965 as a 12-song album, Ray Charles – Live in Concert, the album has been expanded by seven songs to include the complete show.

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