Aaron Neville - Bring It on Home... The Soul Classics
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Free Music Notes for Bring It on Home... The Soul Classics
Free Music Review: Perhaps soul's most versatile vocalist
Hit: 4 Stars
Aaron Neville definitely has one of the most inescapable voices of today. He is versatile as well which may very well be his draw or his appeal. He can sing rock, country, pop, jazz, and soul equally well. There are very few singers that can pull that off. Here, Brother Aaron returns to form after his exceptional jazz standards album with soul classics. Sure, maybe the classics don't have the vigor of the originals sung by the original artist, but the vigor of Aaron Neville with his mellow, yet soulful vocals is present from the opening "Rainy Night In Georgia" to the chilling closure, an exceptional remake of Sam Cook's classic "A Change Is Gonna Come". Something that perhaps Neville can boast of is the fact that his voice doesn't sound the least bit altered by age as some of his contemporaries have been. Aaron sounds as strong as he did in 1967 when he was singing the classic "Tell Me Like It Is".
Ultimately, there is no need to go through every track and critique them. For the most part, the arrangements are simple, but not so simple where the album sounds cheap. "Ain't No Sunshine" for example doesn't quite have the same feel as the original Bill Wither's take,but it is soulful nonetheless and features some character from Neville which makes it very enjoyable. "You Send Me", another Cooke classic, is well sung here by Neville with both the simplicity that Cooke sang in the 1950s as well as the soulfulness of Aaron Neville. "When A Man Loves A Woman" is as beautiful a take as I've heard and "People Get Ready" is another standout. I could continue to praise all the rest of the numbers but there is no need; they are all consistent.
My largest criticism might be that the guest collaboarations don't necessarily make BRING IT ON HOME any better than it would've been with just Aaron Neville. However, what is good is that the spotlight is on Aaron Neville and the album is simply immaculate, as always. 4 stars.
Free Music Review: Good.... but he's done better
Hit: 3 Stars
Aaron Neville is the most soulful singer of our time. The collection of songs chosen for this CD is a good collection. However, the arrangements could have been better.
His previous version of 'A Change is Gonna Come'is much better than this one, at least I think so. In fact, his previous versions of 'Sittin on the Dock of the Bay' and 'Ain't no Sunshine' are much better also.
Not that these aren't good, they're just softer in tone as is this whole CD, so the songs blend well in succession.
Aaron is definitely timeless, as are these songs. And this CD is a worthy buy. However, I much prefer 'The Grand Tour' and 'Warm Your Heart' to this CD. 'Nature Boy' was also very well done as far as standards go. Just stating personal preferences.
Free Music Review: Aaron's great, and this CD is good.
Hit: 3 Stars
OK, I love Aaron as much or more than the next guy, but I was a little disappointed here. His intrepretations of 50s doo-wop ("Orchid in the Storm") is one one of my favorite recordings of the last 30 years. Producer Joel Dorn and N.O. arranger Wardell Quezergue capture not only Aaron ("I can sing the phone book") Neville, but the absolute essense of the songs. Stewart Levine is a good producer, but his direction to his arrangers leave a whole lot to be desired. LA sessioneers don't really do-the-do here. The songs *are* great, Aaron *is* great, the CD is good. Get it, but don't rush.Free Music Review: The Soul Classics Review
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the best ever!! Aaron's newest CD is just great. Being a big fan of his music, this CD tops the charts. His version of "Stand By Me" beats all!Free Music Review: Returning to his roots
Hit: 5 Stars
This four time Grammy award winning performer exposes his soulful roots with a thirteen song tribute to some of the world's greatest legends of soul and R&B. Even though his awards are in the Pop and Country music categories, his vibrato style clings to the classic songs, infusing them with inspiration and hope for troubled times.
The track list reads like a Who's Who, with guests like Chris Botti, Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples and David Sanborn performing the songs of Otis Redding, Ben E. King, Sam Cooke, Percy Sledge, Al Green and Marvin Gaye among others.
In some cases, you'll have to admit that there ain't nuthin' like the original, but Neville gets full marks for a passionate performance anyway. The ones I like are Ain't No Sunshine, originally by Bill Withers; Stand By Me - Ben E. King; You Send Me - Sam Cooke; Respect Yourself (featuring Mavis Staples) - Staple Singers; Let's Stay Together (featuring Chaka Khan) - Al Green, and People Get Ready (featuring David Sanborn and Art Neville) - Curtis Mayfield.
More than just another oldies compilation, this is an album that Aaron Neville fans can be proud of.
Amanda Richards, September 24, 2006