Rock ’n Soul

Rock 'N Soul was an alright album but it was one i had a bit of trouble keeping up with. I've never really heard of this guy prior to this album but i still think that it's title is decently fitting. It is pretty much your standard 60s R&B record and has basically all the aspects that you would typically find in one from the vocals and backing vocals, to the music and the lyrics. It definitely wasn't a bad listen. Those elements, while formulaic still sounded pretty okay and it didn't have anything that egregiously wrong with it. It just suffered from the issue of being too samey and forgettable which so many albums suffer from.
Best Song: You're Good for Me
Worst Song: Someone to Love Me

A good singer but these are such tired arrangements (esp. for 1964? would've thought this came out 10 years earlier). The lyrics are also extremely corny.

This was fine, but the same feeling song after song throughout the whole album felt long. I wish I could have purchased this as a cass-single instead.

solid opener, very good
excellent
no notes

Great album of soulful crooning.

3.5

I like to complain a lot about the 60s/70s folk/soul picks and that you probably don’t need to listen before you die. But I really enjoyed this album. I can give this a strong 4.

Cry to Me is a song I only knew because IDLES covered it. Look at that, it’s actually from the early 60s.

This is not music that I usually listen to, but it’s well done. He’s got a good voice, with a great girl group type chorus in the background. I like these kind of songs with the syncopation of the guy’s singing with the music and the chorus interweaving. It’s kinda blues, kinda proto-James-Brown.

I’m enjoying the backing music, but there are no credits on the wiki, so I can’t tell who did it - I guess there was a session band? The Spanish-y guitar on “Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance) is interesting, for example, and the piano on “Beautiful Brown Eyes.”

Nice recording and great voice. But this is 12 of the same song. And I didn’t really enjoy it the first time I heard it.

“Before you die you absolutely have to eat this dry cracker.” - Dimery

This was good but it's pretty low key, not a ton of rock 'n' rolls vibes.

Like a lot of soul from this era, I think the singing on here is great, but the album just doesn't do much for me overall. Some really great tracks like Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby, and One More Chance though. Just nothing really memorable for me.

Short but sweet.

Some great old soul tunes. Can’t knock his voice either.

An artist I’m familiar with from a genre I like: usually a one-way ticket to four-star city. This one however is missing the magic pixie dust. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I would actively listen to it again with purpose, and therefore I must give it three.

Loved this

Had a blast listening to this one, it’s like a total time capsule of the early 60s. Solomon Burke’s voice is just unreal, he can go from smooth and soulful to a rough, gritty wail at the drop of a hat. "Cry To Me" is a total standout and honestly shows why he’s one of the godfathers of the genre.

That said, you can definitely tell it's an older record. The production feels a bit dated at times, the backing choirs are super cheesy, and some of the instrumentation is a little flat, which takes away from Burke’s incredible performance. Plus, since it’s basically just a collection of singles rather than a cohesive album, it can get a little repetitive by the end, and some of the lyrics are definitely showing their age. Still, his raw talent is so good it carries the whole thing. Does exactly what it says, rock and soul, beautifully done.

What a voice! This one caught me by surprise.

I had never heard of Solomon Burke before today and that’s absolutely wild to me. This album was fantastic and I think he deserves to be more well known.

3.5
Pretty good listen, he's not Fats Domino though