Various | SOUL COMES HOME: A T | CD

Compilation producers: Joe Mulherin, Niko Lyras.
Recorded live at the Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, Tennessee on April 30, 2003.
Includes liner notes by Peter Guralinck.
From the opening track here, a reprise by Eddie Floyd of his hit "Knock on Wood," this reunion concert, held on April 30, 2003, at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis to commemorate the opening of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, kicks immediately into high gear. Stax, which defined and personified the heart of Deep South Memphis soul in the 1960s, collapsed in financial tatters in 1975, and the studio and office building on McLemore Avenue was torn down in 1989, but for this one night at least, the music was hot buttered and cooking again. Everything works here, from the familiar yet still magnificent grandeur of Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" to the wonderfully emotive reading of "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" by Carla Thomas. Even ex-Doobie Brother Michael McDonald clicks on "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," his tribute to the late Otis Redding. Al Green (who recorded for Stax rival Hi Records) does a warm two-song set here, bringing his energetic gospel best to "Let's Stay Together" and "Love and Happiness," while Solomon Burke tackles another Redding song, "Try a Little Tenderness," and with Al Bell also in attendance, the total of fiery reverends on stage at the Orpheum totaled three, giving the whole evening a kind of gospel revival feel. Booker T. & the MG's, arguably the universe's greatest soul band, turn in a blistering five-minute version of their signature song, "Green Onions," and it is one of the highlights of the evening. As a sort of living, breathing addendum to the Memphis soul scene of the 1960s, Soul Comes Home makes a wonderful testimonial, bringing the past into the present with gritty fervor. ~ Steve Leggett

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 2/3/2004
• Released: 02/03/2004