| CD REVIEW Booker T. Jones |
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Band : Booker T. Jones Another “classic” musician brought back from obscurity thanks to quality record label Anti-...well, actually The Road From Memphis is already the man's second album under the same imprint!!! Older music fans, or fans of older music, may best know the multi-instrumental Booker T. Jones (that's his real and full name) from his days with Booker T. And The MG's (actually, he still tours with that band...as well as his own Booker T. Jones Band...but it's been a while since they released any recorded material), and Booker himself being the youngest but most appreciated house session musician at the infamous Stax Records, starting out in the studios when they were still named Satellite Studios(his first entry into professional musicianhood playing saxophone on the label's first hit “Cause I Love You”, a duet brought by Rufus and Carla Thomas). While hanging around the studio and affiliated record store, he met the first of the musicians which would become one of the MG's, and Booker wasn't even out of high school when he co-wrote the band's instrumental hit “Green Onions” (also the title of their 1962 album), which remains a classic to date! In contrast to what was expected of the musical prodigy, Booker did not leave school to pursue a career in professional music making, but in stead went to Indiana University to continue his musical education. Still, during the weekends when he was home, there would be time to play gigs with the MG's, time to write songs with or for other artists, and for the many studio sessions Staxwanted him to do (for more details, check the artists' Wikipedia page...where this article was culled from, by the way). The situation at Stax would eventually become the better of the band (whom were regarded as session studio musicians rather than as a full-fledged and worthwhile band on their own), and so Booker eventually moved from his hometown Memphis to California in 1970, while still under contract with the label. 1971's Melting pot would become the band's last album for the label. In 1981 Booker made the hit charts with his second solo album I Want You, and he then went on to produce albums for rather famous artists while also doin' the occasional guest appearance. Jones was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1992, and honoured with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in February 2007. In 2009 Jones finally released another solo album titled Potato Hole, which he recorded with Drive By Truckers and also featuring Neil Young. The album won a Grammy Award (Booker's 3rd) in the category Best Instrumental Album at the award's 52 edition in January 2010. More recent guest appearance by Booker include his playing of the Hammond B3 organ on the track “Up To No Good” on Rancid's most recent album Let The Dominoes Fall, and on the track “If It Wasn't For Bad” from the Elton John/ Leon Russel album The Union (that track was nominated in the category Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals at the 53rd Grammy Awards). And this is where we revert our attention to Booker's newest solo album, which differs from his previous one in having several songs on it (as opposed to just containing instrumental track, see?). Backed by the musicians of Hip Hop outfit The Roots (whom switched from turn tables to actual instruments to oblige), the vocalists on the album include Booker's daughter Liv (co-writer of the songs “Representing Memphis” and “The Bronx” - the first a very tasty and soulful duet), Sharon Jones, Tim Yarnes (of My Morning Jacket), Matt Berninger (of the National), the legendary Lou Reed, and eventually also Booker himself (dealing with a download copy of the album, I do not have the info revealing on which song that is, but I guess it's on “Just A Friend”). For a producer, the choice fell on Gabe Roth, on of the Soul Revival masterminds, and famous for his work with the likes of Any Whitehouse and being the man behind Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Stylistically, the music is a nice mixture of Booker's and The Roots' pasts (The Roots, by the way, that's drummer ?uestlove, guitarist Captain Kirk, and bassist Owen Biddle), of Booker's legacy of the famed Philly sound (both Soul and Jazz wize) on the one side, and of The Root's Hip Hop and Pop sensibilities on the other side...both feeding off and complementing each other to make something which is bigger than the both of 'em apart! Now if you wanna know what that sounds like, you can find representatives off the album in the track “Everything Is Everything” and in the song “Representing Memphis”, posted at (www.) myspace.com/bookertjones (for the latter, search a little further down the page). If you need more, you'll have to look up the album's page at one of your trusted online sales sites (Amazon, iTunes, Napster...whatever), where you'll usually find 30-second samples of all album tracks. Great stuff, this! Recommended to all fans of the music of that era, as well as any open-minded music fan! 95/100 Tony. |