Sam Cooke – Night Beat – (1962) RCA/Sony/Analogue Productions stereo-only SACD CAPP 2709 SA, 37:37 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****:
(Artists include: Sam Cooke, vocals; Clifford White and Barney Kessel, guitar; Billy Preston, organ; Ray Johnson, piano; Cliff Hill, bass; Edward Hall, drums; Produced by Hugo and Luigi)
Part of a soul triumvirate of soul singers that died way too young (and in the case of both Sam Cooke and Otis Redding just as they were breaking out to a bigger mainstream audience), Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and to a lesser degree, Jackie Wilson, still inspire debate today as to which was the most dynamic and had the purest soul voice. Otis may have been the most dynamic artist as to stage presence, but Sam Cooke’s voice was possibly the most magical. Although many writers state that Sam Cooke was a seminal inventor of soul music and among the most important soul singers in history, he was certainly worthy of mention of having the purest, most sensual voice ever found in soul.
Taking that voice and backing it with a low-key production and Los Angeles studio veterans left Sam center stage to highlight his fabulous voice. Night Beat, recently re-released by Analogue Productions, is a welcome opportunity to experience the soul master doing less flashy blues based material in a small studio soundstage setting. Night Beat may not have been Sam’s biggest release, but it provides an opportunity to truly sample his talents in a relaxed setting. No hype, no over-production, just Cooke showing his inimitable voice to soothe, move, and charm.
Song choice varies from traditional – “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” to blues classics “Little Red Rooster” and “Shake Rattle and Roll;” as well as three songs written by Cooke that include “Mean Old World.” No horns are found here, and Cooke takes most vocals in a relaxed late-night-session groove. You won’t any significant contributions from his backing band of LA veterans, but Billy Preston makes his presence felt and jazz pro, Barney Kessel has a nice segment on Get Yourself Another Fool.
Listening to this February, 1963 session, thirty seven years later makes one wonder what Cooke could have done in a jazz setting backed by a jazz small group, or even a sympathetic jazz orchestra. Cooke’s voice never seems to be stretched on Night Beat, and I wished for a little more grit as hinted on “Little Red Rooster.” Billy Preston’s organ here, however, pumps up the energy.
I feel that SACD multichannel values are most showcased on Cooke’s vocals and not so much so on the small orchestra conducted by Rene Hall. Not surprising here as Night Beat is all about the sweet soul voice of Mr. Cooke. [Although the original masters are three-channel, they evidently decided at Analogue Productions to remix to just two-channel. Since the demise of the RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence three-channel SACD reissue series there have been no other three-channel SACDs, which can sound amazing if your center channel speaker matches well in timbre with your left and right front speakers…Ed.]
TrackList: Nobody Know the Trouble I’ve Seen, Lost and Lookin’, Mean Old World, Please Don’t Drive Me Away, I Lost Everything, Get Yourself Another Fool, Little Red Rooster, Laughin’ and Clownin’, Trouble Blues, You Gotta Move, Fool’s Paradise, Shake Rattle and Roll
Julian Lage – Live In Los Angeles – Record Store Day
Guitarist Julian Lage’s live album on vinyl is a winner…just in time for Record Store Day.