Solomon Burke's latest CD is a personal and understated if not sparse affair. For most of his career the man from Philadelphia has been switching between country and soul, often choosing songs from the (white) country tradition but singing them with (black) preacher type phrasing. Until recently Burke's accompaniment also stuck to traditional soul patterns. Nothing wrong with that! Now, once again, there is not a sax or trumpet in sight. If anything this CD is even more introspective than its predecessor. Is it good? Yes, but I'm beginning to believe it's not as good as the three preceding ones, Don't give up on Me, Make do with what you've got and Nashville. My ideal verdict would be three and a half stars but that is not possible.
The two collaborations with Eric Clapton are the highlights of the album.
Like a Fire, the album's opener and title track is a brooding song. I do wonder though whether perhaps Burke should have taken more time before finally recording it. I have now heard three versions of this song. At the Glastonbury festival on June 29 the big man seemed to have difficulty remembering the lyrics, four days later at London's Barbican he gave a superb impassioned rendition of the song, obviously having familiarised himself with it in the mean time. The Barbican version was in my opinion superior to the one on this CD.
Thank you, co-written with Clapton is upbeat and light of touch with one of those lovely down home spoken bits in the middle of a song, Burke can do so well.
Other highlights are We don't need it, a tale of a man who loses his job and A Minute to Rest, although I could have done without the heavenly choir at the start there!
The final track, If I give my Heart to You seems to indicate a possible new avenue : Lounge Music, and I do not mean that in a negative sense! Listening to his phrasing here and the wonderful way in which he modulates his voice, I wondered if perhaps an album of standards such as Nat King Cole's Let there be Love or Howard Keel's Oh what a beautiful Morning might not be a good step forward.
