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- Released: June 2008
- Rating: 10/10++
- Vote and comment on this album:
Self-styled Soul man stirs up a storm.
If Otis Redding was alive now, hed be drooling over this CD. So come on youSoul fans, fork out for this gem. You wont be disappointed. Honestly.
Not only does Reed have a remarkably shaped voice coping with shrieks and falsettowith equal measure, hes got this hot as hell band The True Loves who usea tight rhythm section two drummers at his disposal Attis Clopton andNoah Rubin and acoustic bassist Mike Montgomery.
With them theres Ryan Spraker guitarist/back-ups/piano. Brass section is madeup of Ben Jaffe on tenor sax, Patriq Moody on trumpet and Gabe Birnbaum ontenor/baritone sax, and eight other supporting musicians: you can imagine theoverall sound.Theyre a mix of James Brown meets little Richard meets Memphis Horns.Considering their age (all in their 20s) they do a stunning job backing the Boston-basedblue-eyed soul boy.
Their aim, no doubt, was recreate a throwback feel across all the songs,which theyve done with credibility, style and gusto, creating genuine authenticitythatll, if it reaches soul aficionados, keep the spirit of the genre well andtruly alive.
They storm into action on a dance groove with the infectious Stake Your Claim.Reed leads the pack with punctuated squeals while The True Loves swing withstyle-horn blasts and wiry guitar licks aplenty. Am I Wasting My Time issomething Sam Cooke would have delivered during his early 60s heyday and ItsEasier, a smooth ballad, might have made the cut for Otis Reddings OtisBlue album, sitting proudly alongside Change Gonna Come.
For The Satisfier, Reed blows up a James Brown blast on RnB dancer in theSam and Dave mould, again whipping up a measured squeal when needed. NorthernSoul freaks would be happy enough to dance the night away to the sizzlingTake My Love With You. Roll With You is classic Stax soul. Thisgentle ballad proves Reed is comfortable with dance and balladeering. He doesa similar job on She Walks and penultimate (Am I Just) Fooling Myself.
He returns to the dancefloor beats on the rasping adrenalin rush of I WontGive Up, bringing back images of The Blues Brothers on fire. He takes onJames Brown at his own game to end the album: the cut and thrust of funk-fuelled(Doin The) Boom Boom rubber stamps a man, and only 20 something remember,whos destined to make his mark in Soul history.
File under: Astonishing.
Weblinks:elipaperboyreed.com /myspace.com/elipaperboyreed /qdivision.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Stake Your Claim
2. Am I Wasting My Time
3. Its Easier
4. The Satisfier
5. Take My Love With You
6. Ill Roll With You
7. She Walks
8. Im Gonna Getcha Back
9. Wont Give Up Without A Fight
10. (Am I Just) Fooling Myself
11. (Doin The) Boom Boom
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.