Soulsville

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Soulsville
File:Soulsville-album-cover.jpg
Studio album by Huey Lewis and the News
Released October 18, 2010 (2010-10-18)
Recorded 2010
Genre Soul
Length 43:36
Label W.O.W. Records
Producer
Huey Lewis and the News chronology
Greatest Hits & Videos
(2006)Greatest Hits & Videos2006		 Soulsville
(2010)

Soulsville is the ninth studio album from Huey Lewis and the News and the band's first since Plan B in 2001. The album was released on October 18, 2010, in the United Kingdom and Europe[1] and November 2, 2010, in the United States.[2] The album, a tribute to the artists and music of Stax Records, was the brainchild of the band's manager, Bob Brown. As lead singer Huey Lewis explained, "the public isn't clamouring for new Huey Lewis & the News material".[3] Brown and the band thought an album of Stax covers could be their "last shot at getting something out there that can get a rise out of anybody", while also bringing new exposure to the deep Stax catalog.[4]

Recording

Lewis and the News recorded Soulsville at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, in early 2010.[5] One of the original Stax co-engineers, Jim Gaines, who also engineered the band's best-selling albums, Sports and Fore!, produced the album with the band.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3.5/5 stars[6]
American Songwriter 3.5/5 stars[7]
The A.V. Club D+[8]
SoulTracks Highly Recommended[9]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic writes "what makes the album successful is that Huey Lewis & the News don't choose the obvious tunes", citing that their love for the music is infectious and the album "winds up like a bunch of old friends having fun revisiting their favorite tunes."[6] Rick Moore of American Songwriter also praises the selection of "songs that are a little more obscure", calling it "a solid collection of 14 tunes from the Stax/Volt heyday" and a nice homage by the News.[7] J. Matthew Cobb of SoulTracks thinks the song selections are a perfect fit for Lewis's voice and show how rich and vast the Stax catalog is, calling the album "one of the most aesthetically sound cover albums of 2010".[9] Jason Heller of The A.V. Club completely disagrees by claiming Soulsville doesn't have soul and only a few of the songs rise "above the level of really good karaoke." He rips Lewis' renditions of Solomon Burke's (who died shortly before the album was released) "Got to Get You Off My Mind" and "Cry to Me", describing it as "a pathetic epitaph for the late King of Rock & Soul."[8]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Don't Fight It"   Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett 2:57
2. "Got to Get You Off My Mind"   Dolores Burke, Solomon Burke, J.B. Moore 2:50
3. "Free"   Alana Davis, Ed Tuton 3:53
4. "Respect Yourself"   Luther Ingram, Mack Rice 3:41
5. "Cry to Me"   Bert Russell 2:59
6. "Just One More Day"   Cropper, Otis Redding, McEvoy Robinson 3:25
7. "Never Found a Girl"   Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell, Booker T. Jones 2:53
8. "Soulsville"   Isaac Hayes 3:37
9. "Little Sally Walker"   Rufus Thomas 2:11
10. "I Want To (Do Everything for You)"   Joe Tex 3:13
11. "Just the One (I've Been Looking For)"   Cropper, Floyd, Isbell 2:55
12. "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You"   Jerry Akines, Johnnie Bellmon, Reginald Turner, Victor Drayton 2:51
13. "Never Like This Before"   Hayes, Jones, David Porter 2:57
14. "Grab This Thing"   Cropper, Isbell 3:14

Album cover

The album cover was designed by Memphis folk artist Lamar Sorrento. It presents a caricature of a Memphis street corner, complete with musicians, rib joints, and WDIA, the country's first black radio station.[10]

Chart performance

Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 121
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 18
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[11] 15

Personnel

  • Huey Lewis – vocals and harmonica
  • Johnny Colla – guitar, tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals
  • Bill Gibson – drums, percussion, vocals
  • Sean Hopper – keyboards, vocals
  • John Pierce – bass
  • Bill Hinds – guitar on all songs except "Don't Fight It" and "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You"
  • Stef Burns – guitar on "Don't Fight It", "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You", "I Want To (Do Everything for You)", and "Respect Yourself"
  • Marvin McFadden – trumpet
  • Rob Sudduth – tenor saxophone
  • Johnnie Bamont – baritone saxophone

Additional musicians and vocalists

  • Dorothy Morrison – vocal duet on "Respect Yourself"
  • Rick Steff – piano on "Don't Fight It", "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You"
  • John Gove – trombone on "Respect Yourself" and "Got to Get You Off My Mind"
  • Bertram Brown, Jackie Johnson, and Reba Russell – backing vocals on "Don't Fight It", "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You", "Got to Get You Off My Mind", "Little Sally Walker", and "Never Like This Before"
  • Larry Batiste, Niko Ellison, and Cleytoven Richardson – backing vocals on "Never Found a Girl", "Just the One (I've Been Looking For)", "Cry to Me", and "I Want To (Do Everything for You)"
  • Daunielle "Pie" Hill, Jackie Johnson, and Reba Russell - backing vocals on "Free" and "Respect Yourself"
  • Bryan Dyer – backing vocals on "Cry to Me", "I Want To (Do Everything for You)"
  • Ashling Cole – backing vocals on "Soulsville"

References

  1. ↑ Soulsville - Huey Lewis. www.amazon.co.uk
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Russo, Daniel (January 22, 2010). Huey Lewis and the News at Ardent Studios. ardentstudios.com. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Huey Lewis and the News: Soulsville > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Huey Lewis and the News: Soulsville on JamBase. JamBase, Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Huey Lewis and the News: Soulsville – Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2011.


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