OTIS REDDING/THE GREAT OTIS REDDING SINGS SOUL BALLADS VOLT 411 (-65) US MONO

 

This is just me showing love. His second album after the stunning "Pain In My Heart" debute https://monolover.blogspot.com/2017/02/otis-reddingpain-in-my-heart-33-161-64.html  and almost up there with that. His voice so both powerful and sincere, the backing by Booker T. & The M.G.´s, Memphis Horns and Isaac Heyes sparse yet perfectly adaptive and the songs gripping. All conveyed by direct and natural audio. Certainly no need to jump tracks here, you just wanna listen through again and again. But if I have to pick favorite tracks - "That's How Strong My Love Is", "It's Too Late", "Come To Me" and "Mr. Pitiful". In my world this is soul as it should be. If you're not touched by this you don't have a heart. For some reason it wasn't embraced by all critics and didn't have chart success at first, even if the spawned "Mr. Pitiful" 45 got to top ten in US. It has been widely revalued since and is today held high by soul fans and music lovers, as it should. Originally also on vinyl in Canada (Volt VLT 411), UK (Atlantic ATL 5029), Germany (Volt 411) and Italy (Atlantic ATL LP 09005). EU 2012 CD (Warner Music Group Volt 411) as remastered mono. Premiere US (also as stereo S-411) had label as shown here in a fully laminated cover.  (ÖRÖ*)  (TÄX*)  (YZÄ*)  (ÖXCÅ*)