Soulsville is the ninth studio album from Huey Lewis and the News and the band's first since Plan B in 2001. The album was released on October 18, 2010, in the United Kingdom and Europe[1] and November 2, 2010, in the United States.[2] The album, a tribute to the artists and music of Stax Records, was the brainchild of the band's manager, Bob Brown. As lead singer Huey Lewis explained, "the public isn't clamouring for new Huey Lewis & the News material".[3] Brown and the band decided "it would be cooler to go into the [Stax] catalog a little deeper and find songs that people hadn't heard and capture them faithfully".[4]
Recording
Lewis and the News recorded Soulsville at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, in early 2010.[5] One of the original Stax co-engineers, Jim Gaines, who also engineered the band's best-selling albums, Sports and Fore!, produced the album with the band.[6]
Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic writes "what makes the album successful is that Huey Lewis & the News don't choose the obvious tunes", citing that their love for the music is infectious and the album "winds up like a bunch of old friends having fun revisiting their favorite tunes."[6] Rick Moore of American Songwriter also praises the selection of "songs that are a little more obscure", calling it "a solid collection of 14 tunes from the Stax/Volt heyday" and a nice homage by the News.[7] J. Matthew Cobb of SoulTracks thinks the song selections are a perfect fit for Lewis's voice and show how rich and vast the Stax catalog is, calling the album "one of the most aesthetically sound cover albums of 2010".[9] Jason Heller of The A.V. Club completely disagrees by claiming Soulsville doesn't have soul and only a few of the songs rise "above the level of really good karaoke." He rips Lewis' renditions of Solomon Burke's (who died shortly before the album was released) "Got to Get You Off My Mind" and "Cry to Me", describing it as "a pathetic epitaph for the late King of Rock & Soul."[8]
Track listing
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| 1. | "Don't Fight It" | Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett | 2:57 |
| 2. | "Got to Get You Off My Mind" | Dolores Burke, Solomon Burke, J.B. Moore | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Free" | Alana Davis, Ed Tuton | 3:53 |
| 4. | "Respect Yourself" | Luther Ingram, Mack Rice | 3:41 |
| 5. | "Cry to Me" | Bert Russell | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Just One More Day" | Cropper, Otis Redding, McEvoy Robinson | 3:25 |
| 7. | "Never Found a Girl" | Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell, Booker T. Jones | 2:53 |
| 8. | "Soulsville" | Isaac Hayes | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Little Sally Walker" | Rufus Thomas | 2:11 |
| 10. | "I Want To (Do Everything for You)" | Joe Tex | 3:13 |
| 11. | "Just the One (I've Been Looking For)" | Cropper, Floyd, Isbell | 2:55 |
| 12. | "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" | Jerry Akines, Johnnie Bellmon, Reginald Turner, Victor Drayton | 2:51 |
| 13. | "Never Like This Before" | Hayes, Jones, David Porter | 2:57 |
| 14. | "Grab This Thing" | Cropper, Isbell | 3:14 |
Album cover
The album cover was designed by Memphis folk artist Lamar Sorrento. It presents a caricature of a Memphis street corner, complete with musicians, rib joints, and WDIA, the country's first black radio station.[10]
Personnel
- Huey Lewis – lead vocals, harmonica
- Stef Burns – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Bill Hinds – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Johnny Colla – guitar, saxophone, backing vocals
- John Pierce – bass
- Bill Gibson – drums, percussion
- Sean Hopper – keyboards, backing vocals
- Marvin McFadden – trumpet
- John Koda – trumpet
- Rob Sudduth – tenor saxophone
- Johnnie Bamont – alto and baritone saxophones
Additional musicians and vocalists
- Dorothy Morrison – vocal duet on "Respect Yourself"
- Bertram Brown, Jackie Johnson, and Reba Russell – backing vocals on "Don't Fight It", "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You", "Got to Get You Off My Mind", "Little Sally Walker", and "Never Like This Before"
- Larry Batiste, Niko Ellison, and Cleytoven Richardson – backing vocals on "Never Found a Girl", "Just the One (I've Been Looking For)", "Cry to Me", and "I Want To (Do Everything for You)"
- Daunielle "Pie" Hill, Jackie Johnson, and Reba Russell - backing vocals on "Free" and "Respect Yourself"
- Bryan Dyer – backing vocals on "Cry to Me", "I Want To (Do Everything for You)"
- Ashling Cole – backing vocals on "Soulsville"
References
- ↑ Soulsville - Huey Lewis. www.amazon.co.uk
- ↑ Herrington, Chris (October 28, 2010). "Huey Does Soulsville". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
- ↑ Nagy, Evie (October 16, 2010). "Huey Lewis Looks Toward Classic Soul on New Album". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ↑ Karger, Dave (November 5, 2010). "Huey Lewis on his new record, fickle crowds, and being a gay crush: A Music Mix Q&A". Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Huey Lewis and the News at Ardent Studios". Digital Post Production. February 11, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Huey Lewis and the News: Soulsville > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- 1 2 Moore, Rick (November 1, 2010). "Review: Soulsville". American Songwriter, LLC. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- 1 2 Heller, Jason (November 2, 2010). "Review: Soulsville". The Onion. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- 1 2 Cobb, J Matthew. "Review: Soulsville (2010)". SoulTracks, LLC. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ↑ Huey Lewis and the News: Soulsville on JamBase. JamBase, Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Huey Lewis – Soulsville: Chart Search". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
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- Chris Hayes
- Mario Cipollina
- Ron Stallings
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| Studio albums | |
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| Live albums | |
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| Compilations | |
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| Singles | |
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| Related articles | |
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 Book:Huey Lewis and the News |
