Cadillac Records

by Cadillac Records / O.s.t.

Overview

Cadillac Records is Hollywood's version of the Chess Records story. Founded by Leonard Chess (played by Adrian Brody), it became the signature home of the Chicago blues, rhythm & blues, and early rock & roll. Its artist roster included Etta James, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, and dozens of others. The official soundtrack features re-recordings of songs from Chess' classic catalog by contemporary artists -- who have prime roles in the film -- as well as new songs by current talent, and one original stalwart, thank goodness. As such, this set is a mixed bag, and one of two packages that features music from the film. The album's first single is Beyonce Knowles' (playing Etta James' cover of the latter vocalist's classic "At Last"). It's one of her three selections here, and on it Knowles possesses little of the legendary singer's power or edgy finesse. She's entirely too polished and restrained. Her phrasing doesn't come close in terms of inventiveness or inspiration, and her emotional conviction is lacking, to say the least. She fares far better on "I'd Rather Go Blind," that's closer to vintage Northern soul. She gets in a bit of the grit and looseness that the melody and lyric suggest. That said, her lone original "Once in a Lifetime," produced by Amanda Ghost, the Rural, and Ian Dench, could have come from either of her own solo records. It sounds insipid in this context. Jeffrey Wright plays Waters in this film, and his readings of "I'm a Man" and "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man" are excellent. Waters may have been the hardest of the originals to pull off. And Wright comes the closest vocally. He has the requisite vocal depth and can reach for that combination of otherworldliness, abandon, and slight menace that Waters possessed in abundance. He comes closer than hundreds of others who've attempted it over the past 50 years. Likewise, Columbus Short's reading of Dixon's "My Babe" is another highlight. Mos Def as Berry isn't nearly so successful. Berry's voice is one of the most recognizable in recorded history, and the rapper turned actor and -- now "blues" singer? -- doesn't have the authority, hedonistic rebellion, or sexual swagger in his vocal grain as Berry does. He can't seem to raise himself to the disciplined level of phrasing or storytelling, either. While the vocalists don't cut it, the backing bands mostly do, peopled with blues legend Hubert Sumlin, ex-Fabulous Thunbderbirds frontman Kim Wilson, Danny Kortchmar, Steve Jordan, Eddie Taylor, Jr., and bassist Larry Taylor, to name a few. What's really strange here is the inclusion of new neo-soul cuts by Raphael Saadiq and Solange, and Mary Mary, all of which feel forced, stylized and, to be honest, quite cynical in getting the maximum bang for the buck by the album's producers. They need to get this on the radio, and Knowles, no matter how popular, isn't going to make Etta James sound contemporary enough for the suits who program radio or run record labels. Also included as the last cut -- inexplicably -- is an already released track by Nas in "Bridging the Gap," a blues-hop track with his dad, Olu Dara. Original Chess bluesman Little Walter appears here on the track "Last Night" that somehow, with Wright's contributions, redeems most of this slab. This will likely appeal to those moviegoers who are fans of the above stars, particularly Knowles. As far as the story of Chess goes, this music does little to illuminate the magic of the period or Chess' brand of turbulent, fast, loose, genius. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	12/02/2008
Label:	Columbia / Music World/Columbia
UPC:	0886973693629
Rank:	7288

Tracks

1. I'm A Man  -  Barrelhouse Chuck  - Niko Bolas  - Billy Flynn  - Steve Jordan  - Ellas McDaniel  - Hubert Sumlin  - Eddie Jr. Taylor  - Larry Taylor  - Kim Wilson  - Jeffrey Wright
2. At Last  -  Beyonce  - Niko Bolas  - Howard Drossin  - Billy Flynn  - Mack Gordon  - Steve Jordan  - Danny Kortchmar  - Leon Pendarvis  - Larry Taylor  - Harry Warren
3. No Particular Place To Go  -  Barrelhouse Chuck  - Chuck Berry  - Niko Bolas  - Billy Flynn  - Steve Jordan  - Danny Kortchmar  -  Mos Def  - Eddie Jr. Taylor  - Larry Taylor
4. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man  -  Barrelhouse Chuck  - Niko Bolas  - Willie Dixon  - Billy Flynn  - Steve Jordan  - Hubert Sumlin  - Eddie Jr. Taylor  - Larry Taylor  - Kim Wilson  - Jeffrey Wright
5. Once In A Lifetime  -  Beyonce  - Ian Dench  - James Dring  - Amanda Ghost  - Beyonce Knowles  - Scott McFarnon  -  Rural  - Mark "Spike" Stent  - Jody Street
6. Let's Take A Walk  - Rob Bacon  - Charles "Biscuits" Brungardt  - Greg Curtis  - Erica Jerry  - Bobby Ozuna  - Raphael Saadiq
7. 6 O'Clock Blues  - Thomas Brenneck  - Lamont Dozier  - Bosco Mann  - Neil Pogue  - Mark Ronson  -  Solange  - Homer Steinweiss  - Neal Sugarman
8. Nadine  -  Barrelhouse Chuck  - Chuck Berry  - Niko Bolas  - Billy Flynn  - Steve Jordan  - Danny Kortchmar  -  Mos Def  - Eddie Jr. Taylor  - Larry Taylor
9. The Sound  - Eric Campbell  - Erica Campbell  - Tina Campbell  - Warryn Campbell  - Manny Marroquin  -  Mary Mary  -  Mary Mary Girls  - Dontae Winslow
10. Last Night  - Walter Jacobs  -  Little Walter
11. I'd Rather Go Blind  -  Beyonce  - Niko Bolas  - Lisa Fischer  - Billy Flynn  - Bill Foster  - Earl Gardner  - Ellington Jordan  - Steve Jordan  - Danny Kortchmar  - Leon Pendarvis  - Lenny Pickett  - Larry Taylor
12. My Babe  -  Barrelhouse Chuck  - Niko Bolas  - Willie Dixon  - Billy Flynn  - Steve Jordan  - Coco Short  - Columbus Short  - Hubert Sumlin  - Eddie Jr. Taylor  - Larry Taylor  - Kim Wilson
13. Bridging The Gap  - Kevin Crouse  - Olu Dara  - Vincent Henry  - Nasir Jones  -  Nas  - Salaam Remi

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Little Walter   Primary Artist
Solange   Primary Artist
Terence Blanchard   Primary Artist
SOUL7   Primary Artist
Elvis Presley   Primary Artist
Beyonce   Primary Artist
Eamon Walker   Primary Artist
Coco Short   Primary Artist
Jeffrey Wright   Primary Artist
Nas   Primary Artist
Q-Tip   Primary Artist
Raphael Saadiq   Primary Artist,Bass,Vocals
Mos Def   Primary Artist
Buddy Guy   Primary Artist
Columbus Short   Primary Artist
Mary Mary   Primary Artist
Lenny Pickett   Flute,Saxophone
Hubert Sumlin   Guitar
Lisa Fischer   Vocals (Background)
Olu Dara   Guitar,Trumpet,Harmonica,Featured Artist
Warryn Campbell   Various Instruments
Vincent Henry   Sax (Baritone),Guitar,Strings,Harmonica
Leon Pendarvis   Piano
Salaam Remi   Bass,Drums,Guitar
Earl Gardner   Trumpet
Kim Wilson   Harp,Harmonica,Featured Artist
Eddie Taylor   Guitar
Barrelhouse Chuck Goering   Piano
Barrelhouse Chuck   Piano
Billy Flynn   Guitar
Eddie Taylor Jr.   Guitar
Bill Simms Jr.   Featured Artist,Guitar
Thomashina Atkins   Vocals (Background)
Rob "Fonksta" Bacon   Guitar
Steve Jordan   Drums,Slide Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Rob Bacon   Guitar
Larry Taylor   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)
Onitsha Shaw   Vocals (Background)
Dontae Winslow   Horn
Al Kapone   Featured Artist
Danny Kortchmar   Guitar
Meegan Voss   Vocals (Background)
Bobby Ozuna   Drums,Tambourine
Greg Curtis   Organ,Wurlitzer
The Mary Mary Girls   Vocals (Background)
Erica Jerry   Vocals,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Bruce Buechner   Audio Engineer
Frank Wolf   Mixing,Audio Engineer
Mack Gordon   Composer
Jim Caruana   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Marshall Chess   Executive Producer
Matt Green   Audio Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Ned Weaver   Composer
Terence Blanchard   Composer
Steven Berkowitz   Music Consultant
Solange   Composer
Warryn Campbell   Audio Production,Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Marcos Tovar   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Marlon Marcel   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Ellas McDaniel   Composer
Greg Calbi   Mastering,Remastering
Walter Jacobs   Composer
Howard Drossin   Arranger,String Arrangements
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Mark Ronson   Composer,Audio Production
Salaam Remi   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Audio Production
Howlin' Wolf   Composer
Robert Leroy Johnson   Composer
James Dring   Composer
Yohei Goto   Audio Engineer
Ellington Jordan   Composer
Bernard Roth   Composer
Bill Foster   Composer
Billy Davis   Composer
Kevin Crouse   Mixing,Engineer,Audio Engineer
Ian Dench   Composer,Producer,Audio Production
Bosco Mann   Composer
Lamont Dozier   Composer
Chester Burnett   Composer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Chuck Berry   Composer
Amanda Ghost   Composer,Producer,Audio Production
Jean Schwartz   Composer
Quincy Jackson   Marketing
Denise Trorman   Design
Gwen Gordy   Composer
Juli Knapp   A&R
Steve Jordan   Composer,Producer,Audio Engineer,Audio Production,Soundtrack Producer
Milton Agar   Composer
Nasir Jones   Composer
Sean Cooper   Sound Design
Mathew Knowles   Executive Producer
Niko Bolas   Mixing,Engineer,Audio Engineer
Tina Campbell   Composer
Erica Campbell   Composer
Ned Wever   Composer
James Cruz   Mastering,Remastering
Raphael Saadiq   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Audio Production
McKinley Morganfield   Composer
Eric Campbell   Composer
Milton Ager   Composer
Brian Montgomery   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Muddy Waters   Composer
Robert Marks   Mixing Assistant
Ben Kane   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Neal Sugarman   Composer
Homer Steinweiss   Composer
Olu Dara   Composer
A. Bailey   Composer
Jaye Wynn   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Harry Warren   Composer
Thomas Brenneck   Composer
Neil Pogue   Mixing,Mix Control
Mike Gordon   Composer
Charles "Biscuits" Brungardt   Mixing,Engineer,Audio Engineer
Greg Curtis   Composer
Christian Baker   Assistant,Audio Engineer
The Rural   Audio Production
Jody Street   Composer
Scott McFarnon   Composer
Tom Coyne   Mastering,Remastering
Berry Gordy, Jr.   Composer
Bo Diddley   Composer
Beyonce Knowles   Composer,Producer,Audio Production