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JACKIE
PAYNE STEVE EDMONSON BAND "MASTER OF
THE GAME"
Source: Soul-Patrol
Date: 10/2006
Writer: Bob Davis |
In
the liner notes for "Master of the Game"
it says: "For their Delta Groove debut the
tight as a drum road tested band entered the studio
at the height of their powers. "Master of
the Game" showcases a set of powerful Payne/Edmonson
originals augmented by fresh arrangements of great
songs by the likes of Johnny Taylor and Bobby
Bland."
If we take a serious look
at the history of Black music, one of the things
that we will find is that it has rarely ever
been just one thing. It's always been about
fusing together many different styles Today
when people see terms like "Nu/Neo Soul"
it brings to mind a "revival of a kinda
jazz/funk/vocal groove" that brings to
mind artists like Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind
and Fire, Donny Hathaway, etc. However this
particular style is not the only one that is
undergoing a "revival" in Soul music
today. Back in the 1970's the sound of Memphis
as represented by Stax and Al Green was one
of the dominant forces in music. Listening to
the title track of the new album "Master
of the Game" by the Jackie Payne Steve
Edmonson Band has my mind floating back to those
days. The song has got this absolutely wicked
organ/horn section combination going on and
it's combined with a story with a headline that
reads "When it comes to playing a fool
baby, I'm a master of the game". This is
the overall musical feel of the entire album
and I like it. So with that type of historical
backdrop in mind, I think that this is the type
of an album that's going to be opening more
than a few doors as well as a few minds. Today
the term that is used is "Southern Soul".
When I think of the term "Southern Soul"
it brings to mind music from artists like Sam
& Dave, Otis Redding, Betty Wright, Latimore,
Dorothy Moore, Al Green and others from the
past. Today "Southern Soul" takes
it's inspiration from that period/sound and
brings it up to date in a way that will make
you smile. In some ways it's a shame that we
let the names of the categories divide us as
music fans, when what we should be doing is
listening to the music. For example, does anyone
here remember and artist named Joe Tex? Well
if you do, then when you listen to the song
"Sweet Landlady" from the album "Master
of the Game," your mind will immediately
go back and start thinking about the music of
Joe Tex. See in my mind anybody who is reviving
the musical style of someone like Joe Tex deserves
all of the props in the world.
There
are some people who try to treat Soul music
as if it's a "museum piece". Then
there are those who know that it has a future
and seek to carve out a path for it that uses
the past for guidance. I think that the Jackie
Payne Steve Edmonson Band is doing a pretty
good job of clarifying some more of details
of that path. |
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