Memphis

by Boz Scaggs, Royal Strings, Royal Horns

Overview

On Memphis, Boz Scaggs pays tribute to the city's magnificent soul tradition, Al Green, and producer Willie Mitchell and his Royal Recordings studio, whose location and personnel were used to cut it in three days. Produced by drummer Steve Jordan, the core band includes the singer and Ray Parker, Jr. on guitars, and bassist Willie Weeks, augmented by the Royal Horns & Strings, a small backing chorus, sidemen, and guests. Green's influence is celebrated in the opener, Scaggs' "Gone Baby Gone." Its wafting B-3, Rhodes, fluid electric guitars, and a tight backbeat underscore his baritone croon to excellent effect. If there were doubts about the quality of his voice at this juncture, they're immediately dispelled when his sweet falsetto emerges. In his cover of Green's "So Good to Be Here," Scaggs references him but digs deeper into his own trick bag with more rounded, earthier highlights. Then Scaggs begins to move the recording off the ledge a bit. His take on Willy DeVille's "Mixed Up Shook Up Girl" reveals just how deep the late New York rocker's R&B roots really ran as a songwriter. He furthers that notion in covering Moon Martin's "Cadillac Walk," a tune that was a minor hit for DeVille. Scaggs lets raucous, electric roadhouse blues hold sway. These songs draw attention to an under-celebrated singer, songwriter, and performer. Scaggs has always loved the seam where roadhouse blues and R&B meet. The nasty readings of Jimmy Reed's "You Got Me Cryin'" and the Meters' "Dry Spell" attest to that. The latter features a scorching electric dobro solo by Keb' Mo'. Blues are reconstructed in the gorgeous version of "Corrina Corrina." While it is recorded somewhat nearer to its traditional folk origins, Spooner Oldham's Wurlitzer ghosts in from the margins and ushers it in from history to the present era. In Scaggs' smooth voice, the passage of time blurs; it stretches and ultimately ceases to matter. Motown gets the Royal Studios treatment in the glorious reading of Sylvia Robinson's "Love on a Two-Way Street," which features Funk Brother Jack Ashford on vibes. In a real twist, Steely Dan's "Pearl of the Quarter" proves a real set highlight, as early rock & roll, doo wop, Memphis soul, New Orleans R&B, and jazz all come flowing through the band's presentation and Lester Snell's string arrangement. They buoy Scaggs, whose trademark phrasing and emotional honesty offer immediacy and closeness. His own "Sunny Gone" closes it. His lower register is drenched in a meld of R&B, jazz, and his own classic pop balladry -- a la "Harbor Lights" -- carry his delivery which sends Memphis whispering off with a touch of melancholy elegance. This set is a stunner. Scaggs is in full possession of that iconic voice; he delivers songs with an endemic empathy and intimacy that make them sound like living, breathing stories. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	03/05/2013
Label:	429 Records
UPC:	0795041788924

Tracks

1. Gone Baby Gone
2. So Good to Be Here
3. Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl
4. Rainy Night in Georgia
5. Love on a Two Way Street
6. Pearl of the Quarter
7. Cadillac Walk
8. Corrina, Corrina
9. Can I Change My Mind
10. Dry Spell
11. You Got Me Cryin'
12. Sunny Gone

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Boz Scaggs   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Royal Horns   Primary Artist
Royal Strings   Primary Artist
Charles Hodges   Organ
Eddie Willis   Guitar
David Hungate   Bass
Charlie Musselwhite   Harmonica
Steve Jordan   Percussion,Vocals (Background),Drums
Lannie McMillan   Sax (Tenor)
Barrie Cooper   Violin
Jessie Munson   Violin
Mark Wallace   Cello
Beth Luscome   Viola
Shannon Forrest   Drums
Keb' Mo'   Slide Dobro
Ray Parker, Jr.   Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Monet Owens   Spoken Word,Vocals (Background)
Jack Ashford   Vibraphone
Jim Cox   Organ,Piano,Fender Rhodes
Jim Horn   Sax (Baritone)
Rick Vito   Guitar
Willie Weeks   Double Bass,Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric)
Jonathan Kirkscey   Cello
Wen-Yih You   Violin
Jennifer Puckett   Viola
Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell   Horn,Strings,Percussion
Claytoven Richardson   Vocals (Background)
Jack Hale   Trombone
Spooner Oldham   Organ,Piano
Ben Cauley   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Ellington Jordan   Composer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Lester Snell   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Chris Tabarez   Engineer,Vocal Engineer,Overdub Engineer
Steve Jordan   Mixing,Producer,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Barry Despenza   Composer
BB Keyes   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Sylvia Robinson   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
BB Keys   Composer
Jimmy Reed   Composer
Boz Scaggs   Composer
Walter Becker   Composer
Niko Bolas   Mixing,Engineer
Moon Martin   Composer
Al Green   Composer
Calvin Carter   Composer
Willy DeVille   Composer
Willie Mitchell   String Arrangements
Tony Joe White   Composer
Matt McGinley   Photo Assistance
Steve Fallone   Mastering
Deborah Feingold   Photography
Jack "Applejack" Walroth   Composer
Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell   Engineer
Perry Michael Allen   Composer
David Alan Kogut   Art Direction
Carl Wolfolk   Composer
J. Michael Rodriguez   Vocal Engineer,Overdub Engineer
Donald Fagen   Composer
Ewart Abner   Composer