Jul
22
GUY SEBASTIAN CD The Memphis Album
July 22, 2008 |
On ‘The Memphis Album’, Guy Sebastian nimbly sidesteps earlier issues of writer’s block by travelling to Ardent Studios in Memphis to record fourteen gems of 60’s southern soul, using many of the musicians who had worked on the original recordings. With many definitive classic songs - Knock on Wood, In the Midnight Hour, Soul Man, Dock of the Bay, Take Me To The River - The Memphis Album is a superbly skillful record, less interpretative than evocative, with all the ingredients perfectly balanced to win an international audience for the Australian Idol winner.
Kicking off with the Sam & Dave classic ‘Soul Man’, Sebastian immediately shows his intentions are sincere, respectful, as he fills the song with grace, power, and dignity. The instant immediacy of the backing music makes authenticity unquestionable - there is no mistaking that Stax sound - fat horn lines, funky guitars, and syncopated percussion lock the listener into a perfect groove until the very end of the record. By using many of the original musicians of the era - Steve Cropper, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, Steve Potts, Lester Snell, and Dave Smith - Sebastian has created a perfect platform to display his impressive range of expression and technical prowess.
What is lacking in all these recordings, though, is what makes all of the originals versions so essential. Memphis soul has deservedly achieved mythical importance in the canon of American music. In the 1960’s the small southern city was a mecca for southern musicians; Stax and other local labels produced music colored by racial tension, economic hardship, and the prevalent sense of institutionalized injustice. Less sugar-coated than the Motown sound, Memphis soul uniquely reflected its geography and time, by brilliantly combining the sweeping inclusive beauty of gospel with secularism, carnality and outrage, creating a distinct and compelling sound independent of any specific artist. The original versions of the songs on ‘The Memphis Album’ - by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Al Green, and others - stand tall as a heady mixture of earthiness and anger, lust and hope, joy and sadness; each song imbued with a vital urgency that made the listener feel the artists have LIVED the lyrics, that their own passion and pain bled into the songs.
Of course it is unfair to criticize Sebastian - born two decades and an ocean away from Memphis - for being unable to nail this nebulous vibe, the ’spirit of the times’. What Sebastian brings to the table is a wonderful voice, heartfelt respect and skillful presentation. His range, style and tone are all remarkable, and his technique so polished that it could be argued (at the risk of being blasphemous) that he occasionally improves on the original recordings, sweetly gliding through parts shouted by the originals. With the exception of an insipid ‘Under the Boardwalk’, all of the selections are top-notch, adeptly produced, excellently performed, with Sebastian pouring himself whole-heartedly into the material.
‘The Memphis Album’ quickly went double platinum in Australia, and Sebastian toured Australia with the MGs as his support band. Featuring the Memphis ‘funk brothers’ of Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper, the concerts were hugely successful, culminating in a live concert DVD; the rave reviews generated an international release of the album and plans for worldwide touring.
‘The Memphis Album’ is an excellent introduction to Memphis soul for neophytes, and a good introduction to Guy Sebastian for those unfamiliar with his talent or intellectually averse towards any ‘Idol’ releases. For diehard soul collectors, the backing tracks alone by the MGs and Memphis horns should be enough incentive to pick up the CD; Guy Sebastian’s sheer talent will be a nice revelation. Recommended.
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The Memphis album is one of our most requested cd’s. Brilliant!
http://www.AllMemphisMusic.com
Excellent Review of an amazing Album. I had the privilege to be at a ‘Guy Sebastian and the MGs’ Memphis Tour gig here in Australia. Guy and the legendary STAX musicians blew audiences away and the concert tour is one of the highlights of the Australian Concert Tour gigs for 2008 which was 18 concert gigs over a 22 day period.
My concert pics of the Memphis Tour are on my blog http://soulmansebastian.blogspot.com/ - you can see how successful this Memphis Tour really was!
I love the way this CD was recorded - LIVE to analogue tape just like they used to do back in the day, where the singer and musicians are all on the studio floor recording a track together at the same time! It is a credit to Guy Sebastian that he nailed 11 of the 14 tracks first take and these are what you hear on the cd.
I really enjoyed your review Laurie - it hits the ‘nail on the head’ about this wonderful CD and that voice of Guy Sebastian just melts the heart!!
Thank you for your thoughtful, beautifully written review. May I say though, that the “Fourteen gems of 60s southern soul” include I’d Like to Get to Know You, a Sebastian original that fit nicely into the package. Which bodes well for the USA release early in 2009 which is proposed to be two-thirds the album as it stands, the remainder replaced by a few more Sebastian originals. Sebastian’s talent is constantly growing. I’ve seen him live often and he’s already performing these songs better than on the album, I believe. Now that he’s decided soul is the way he wants to go, after stepping down a few side roads on the way, I think we’re going to be in for a mighty fine ride with Guy Sebastian.
Well thought out review of a wonderfully soulful album.
Soul music lovers should also check out the ‘live’ DVD/CD of the Memphis Tour. Guy Sebastian and the MGs. One of the most exciting concerts I have ever been to. You just don’t see this calibre of soul singer and soul musicians anymore!!
Thank you for brightening my day Laurie - this was a great read and excellent review of a very special album!
Lorrie x
Laurie Mercer’s review of Guy Sebastian’s The Memphis Album is very welcome. I have this album and would also recommend it to any lover of soul music, in fact ANY music lover.
It is evident that Laurie actually listened to this album in its entirety. The fact that Guy actually recorded this album in Memphis itself.. with Steve Cropper and the Mgs is testament to these soul legends’ belief in Guy and his interpretation in the soul music they love.
Add to that the fact that Steve Cropper, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, Lester Snell and Steve Potts actually came down to Australia to back Guy in The Memphis Tour shows how highly they think of Guy Sebastian.
Thanks Laurie for your well deserved review of Guy’s The Memphis Album.
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