THE COUNTRY SOUL REVUE – TESTIFYING (CASUAL RECORDS
December 7th, 2004 by susanna
The Southern United States has been an important crucible for popular music since time out of mind. Jazz, R’n'B, Country and Gospel emerged from the Deep South and made their separate migrations around the globe. Back in the 50s Country and R’n'B shook hands and made up Rock ‘n’ Roll. But the cross fertilisation didn’t stop there. Music always mutates and cross references, returns to a stop and metamorphoses again. It’s a continuing process.
After the success of their first two Country Got Soul compilations, Casual have come up with a project which brings the sound up to date in the studio and gathers up once more some of the leading lights of the genre. The basic premise of the sound is simple, music played by usually white southern musicians who are steeped in soul. They busted genres and segregationist attitudes and as Dan Penn, the distinguished MD of this project points out, “there was a lot of meanness going on between black people and white people, but there was also a lot of love”.
Penn produces the set from his basement studio in Nashville and the sound he gets is just about as rich and lush as the talent requires. Tony Joe White, Bonnie Bramlett, Larry Jon Wilson, George Soule and Donnie Fritts appear amongst a stellar cast of their peers who spent ten amazing days cutting thirteen tracks backed by the likes of the Muscle Shoals and the Memphis Horns. Ace filmie Don Letts filmed the whole process for a documentary that should be televised here sometime soon; I’m guessing the excellent BBC4.
The pedigree shows itself from the first take as Spooner Oldham’s Wurlitzer gurgles away in the background to Tony Joe White’s drawled opening vocal. In comes the lazy drift of George Soule’s “Jaguar Man” dropping the voodoo dust all over the desk. Larry Jon Wilson’s storytelling on “Friday Night At Al’s” is delivered with the kind of voice which is dripped in molasses and imbued with a wry sense of observation and humour. All the way through the backing is one-drop perfect, the kind of back beaten, from the wrist, deceptively relaxed perfection, which only the cream of America’s session players can achieve.
In comes Bonnie Bramlett’s ballad “Where’s Eddie” punctuated by the horn section from heaven, a heart wrenching narrative which builds to its sobbing conclusion of unrequited love. I tell you if this record had been made in the 70s it would be a rare groove of such magnificent proportions that mortgages would have been required for its purchase. Dan Penn’s organisational talents do not prevent him providing two songs for the tape which particularly showcases his warm and expressive vocal and song-writing talents on “Chicago Afterwhile”, soul legends Solomon Burke and Irma Thomas have both recorded his work in the past. Tribute indeed.
It’s churlish to single out tracks on a project like this though. Collectively the record may well do for country soul what Buena Vista Social club did for son and rumba. There is nothing better than the sound of a bunch of players at the top of their game but not necessarily always in the head lit glare of publicity doing what they do instinctively and best. I suspect that we are going to get more familiar with them over the coming months. There are certainly plans for a live visit to these shores following the amazing reception to the collections that were originally put together by London DJ Ross Allen and others.
In the meantime you can hear cuts from this and the other albums at the Big Chill Bar this Friday 10th December when the Casual Records DJs present “City, Country, City” for one night only. Please be there. It’s gonna be pure class.
AJ
Testifying is out now on Casual Records
