2014-02-15
One of rocks greatest voices Paul Rodgers {Free, Bad Company} pays homage to the musicians that dominated the Memphis soul sound in the 1960's. The Royal Seessions were recorded at the legendary Royal Studios, that brought us the timeless recordings released on Stax/Volt, Goldwax & Hi Records. Assembling a all-star band of veteran Memphis R&B musicians as well as back ground singers and recorded 100% on analog tape, Paul captures both the feeling and sound of these classic recordings. The Royal Sessions begins with Paul tackling the soulful Isaac Hayes track "I Thank You" and then moves into the bluesy sounds of the Albert King track "Down Don't Bother Me". Paul breaths new life into three different Otis Redding treasures. "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Any Old Way' and one of the ultimate classics "I've Got Dreams To Remember". Paul is joined by a the gospel sounds of the Royal Singers for the Burt Bacharach favorite "Walk On By" which may be my all time favorite recording of this track. Most of the tracks on this Disc were originally recorded 50 years ago, but Paul makes them sound as fresh, new & timeless as when they came out of Memphis and Royal Studios five decades ago. Reviewed By: Gregg SaurThe opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.