Nudge It Up A Notch | Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere;Steve Cropper;Felix Cavaliere

Nudge It Up A Notch | Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere;Steve Cropper;Felix Cavaliere | Great New Music from Two Old Masters

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Nudge It Up A Notch

	Nudge It Up A Notch Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere;Steve Cropper;Felix Cavaliere Stax, 2008 average customer review:based on 23 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

As tasty as tasteful can be...

I don't know what I was expecting but certainly not this good. First of all it sounds at first a little like the Rascals when they were at their peak.....very tight and upfront. Felix Cavaliere is singing like he stepped out of a time machine from their heyday. But there's much more... Steve Cropper lays down the licks like he's always done and like they've been playing together for a long time. Everything meshes nicely. The background vocals are right on the money as is the superlative bass and drums. The songs are sung and played with such sincerity as to be instantly infectious to the listener. You can't help but start moving. From soulful R & B to funky and catchy instrumentals this recording satisfies like I wouldn't have believed. This is so fine it's in the instant classic category. Great to have these guys back in such fine form.

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Great New Music from Two Old Masters

Sometimes, there is a new album that comes out that gives me the--somewhat naive--hope that simply "good music" will save the music business. And I am repeatedly pleased and amazed when the new good music comes from artists of my generation, defying expectations--I guess because of their age and the fact that they make rock music, not shlock music.

One of these is Nudge It Up a Notch, just released on July 29, 2008, by Steve Cropper, the 67-year old guitarist/composer/producer behind most of Otis Redding's records, Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave, The Blues Brothers, and others, and Felix Cavaliere, the 64-year old vocalist/organist, formerly of the hit 60's group, The Rascals. I've listened to it all the way through three times already. If you like upbeat albums, good songs, a steady beat, great vocals and lyrics, and the interplay of a lead vocalist with background singers, you'll enjoy this one. It has heart and soul, a musical approach we need today in a world gone wrong.

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Blue-eyed and Memphis soul summit pays big dividends

On paper it's a dream match made in soulsville: the iconic guitarist of Booker T and the MG's writing and recording with the legendary blue-eyed soul vocalist of The Young Rascals. On disc, forty years after their respective chart conquests, their chops are in superb shape, their songwriting talents intertwine smoothly and they sound remarkably fresh and energized. Cavaliere's vocals retain the summery emotion of his Young Rascals days, combining soulful phrasing with a horn-like edginess to his high notes, and Cropper's guitar - both as a lead and rhythm instrument - retains every bit of its defining Memphis identity. In addition to his voice, Cavaliere's organ gives a few tracks the old Rascals feeling, and the rhythm section of Shake Anderson and Chester Thompson is solid and surprisingly lyrical throughout.

The album's biggest payoff is the mid-tempo "If It Wasn't for Loving You," combining Cropper's instantly identifiable rhythm guitar licks (and a sweet solo) with a heartfelt vocal by Cavaliere, a hook-filled melody, and a clever a cappella coda. This would have been a huge AM hit in 1967, but might slip through the cracks of today's balkanized formats. Also winning are the contemporary soul-blues "To Make It Right" and "One of Those Days." The former finds Cavaliere failing to satisfy his mate's material and emotional desires, with Cropper's guitar neatly echoing the lyrical anxiety. The latter demonstrates the anguished aftermath of love gone wrong, with a bottom-heavy rhythm, call-and-response vocals and a guitar solo that's perfectly woven into the chugging beat.

The duo explore more contemporary sounds with the soul-rap "Make the Time Go Faster" and proto-funk of "Still Be Loving You," and Cropper's guitars turn swampy (and Thompson's drums get heavy) for the instrumental "Full Moon Tonight." Two more instrumentals, "Cuttin' It Close" and the ska-rhythmed "Jamaica Delight," are undermined by dated sounds from Cavaliere's keyboard, and though the same might have been true of the synthesized strings on the soft soul "Impossible," it's saved by Cavaliere and his background singers. The album's closing instrumental "Love Appetite" is likewise plagued by synthesizers on its edges, but Cropper's charging guitar and Cavaliere's Ramsey Lewis-styled piano provides salvation. This album delivers what it promises: two soul legends combining their talents into a contemporary album that deeply echoes the past. The real surprise is how vital both players sound. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5

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