Archive Review: Paul Rodgers’ The Royal Sessions (2014)

There’s no denying Paul Rodgers’ status as one of the most iconic singers in rock music. As the frontman of both British blues-rock giants Free in the 1960s and the chart-topping Bad Company during the ‘70s, Rodgers left his mark with a slew of hit singles and memorable moments. After the break-up of Bad Company, Rodgers half-heartedly launched a solo career in the 1980s that resulted in some decent music but diminishing commercial returns. The inevitable BadCo reunions would follow, as would a surprisingly good solo tribute to the great Muddy Waters. Rodgers seemed to have hit a career nadir in the mid-2000s, however, standing in for the late Freddie Mercury over several successful tours by pomp-rockers Queen.

Many of us felt that the Queen move was a waste of a great vocalist whose soul-drenched emotional howls would never be a proper substitute for Mercury’s operatic flamboyance. Rodgers may have felt the same, quitting Queen (to be replaced by Mercury’s American Idol doppelganger Adam Lambert) and high-tailing it down to Memphis, Tennessee. Within the hallowed walls of Royal Studios in Memphis, surrounded by a veritable who’s who of Bluff City musical talent, Rodgers returned to his roots with The Royal Sessions, a rock-solid collection of soul and R&B classics, many from the Stax, Goldwax, and Hi Records releases that had influenced a young Paul so many years ago in England.

Paul Rodgers’ The Royal Sessions

Rodgers kicks off The Royal Sessions with his horn-driven take on the Sam & Dave gem “I Thank You.” Rock ‘n’ roll fans probably know the ZZ Top version better than the Stax duo’s, but there’s no denying the power and groove of the original. Rodger’s reading of the soul classic falls, stylistically, somewhere in between the original and that by the blues-rockers from Texas, his throaty vocals soaring atop the rhythms, the arrangement bolstered by the bleating of The Royal Horns and the swirling keyboard licks of Rev. Charles Hodges, Sr. (who played on records by R&B greats like Al Green and O.V. Wright). A cover of Albert King’s “Down Don’t Bother Me” is similarly enhanced by the keyboards and hornplay, but Rodgers finds a bluesier groove here and guitarist Michael Toles (who played with King and Isaac Hayes, among others) hits a the high notes, making for one groove-laden jam.

Covering Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand The Rain” is pretty much a losing proposition for any vocalist, no matter how talented, but Rodgers gives it a good shot, delivering more emotion and heartbreak than many singers manage. The horns massage the anguish here rather than overwhelm it, and the keyboards chime on religiously behind the vocals. Rodgers fares better on the Otis Redding gem “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” capturing the singer’s soul-drenched teardrops as the band embellishes the original Stax house band arrangement only slightly. It’s a fine performance, and not the last time that Rodgers would find solace and inspiration from the fate-crossed soul legend.

Born Under A Bad Sign

Memphis-born songwriter Roosevelt Jamison penned a number of memorable classics, but none larger or more influential than his beautiful “That’s How Strong My Love Is.” Written for Jamison’s friend O.V. Wright, who recorded the song in 1964, it would become a Top 20 R&B chart hit a year later for Otis Redding and later be recorded by a diverse group of rock, pop, and R&B artists including the Rolling Stones, Little Milton, Humble Pie, Bryan Ferry, Taj Mahal, and others. Rodgers takes a shot at it here and knocks it out of the park, his stunning vocal performance mimicking Redding’s, displaying all the romantic intensity of the best versions, his voice backed by lush, elegant instrumentation.

By contrast, Rodgers’ lone blunder on The Royal Sessions may be his reading of the Bert Bacharach/Hal David tune “Walk On By” (an early-1960s hit for Dionne Warwick). Blanketed in sickly strings and imbued by faint and inefficient backing vocals, the version is bereft of any melody or discerning tempo, and if not for Toles’ subtle but funky fretwork, it would be a complete wash. Luckily, Rodgers’ inspired cover of Albert King’s “Born Under A Bad Sign” provides a breath of fresh air to the proceedings. Toles lays down a nice groove while Rodgers belts out the lyrics, the guitar solos are tasteful and rich in tone, and the horns underline the instrumentation rather than dominate.

Delving again into the Redding songbook, Rodgers wraps his voice around the often overlooked “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember.” Crooning above the mournful horns and washes of keyboards and guitar, Rodgers brilliantly matches Redding tear for tear. The lone original song on The Royal Sessions, Rodgers’ “Walk In My Shadow” is an up-tempo wildfire written and sung in the Southern soul style. With fine walking rhythms and R&B-tinged horns, Rodgers recreates the Stax blueprint so convincingly that only the album credits reveal the truth.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

I went into The Royal Sessions without a single expectation and found myself pleasantly surprised. Rodgers handles the classic material almost effortlessly, painting the faintest of contemporary sheen on these old-school soul gems. His vocals are wired and inspired and the backing band – wily, talented veterans of countless sessions for Stax, Hi Records, and Malaco – known when, and when not to play behind the singer. The result is a charming, entertaining effort that will make you fall in love with these songs all over again. Kudos all around to Paul Rodgers and his studio crew for their labor of love. (429 Records, released February 4, 2014)

Review originally published by About.com Blues

Fossils: Bad Company's Straight Shooter (1975)

(click to embiggen)

Bad Company – Straight Shooter

British blues-rock outfit Bad Company already had a heady track record before the release of its 1974 self-titled debut album. Paul Rodgers, the voice of the band, put together Bad Company after the break-up of Free, his legendary 1960s-era outfit. Rodgers brought drummer Simon Kirke from that previous band along for the ride, joining guitarist Mick Ralphs from Mott the Hoople and bassist Boz Burrell from King Crimson to form Bad Company. The debut album’s first hit single, “Can’t Get Enough,” hit #5 on the chart, pushing the album itself to number one.

A year later, Bad Company released Straight Shooter, more of the same hard rock and boogie blues that characterized the band’s first LP – no surprise, really, as many of the songs had been written in ‘73 around the time of the debut (and may have been leftovers from those first sessions). The ad campaign for Straight Shooter showcases the band (and friends) gambling at a craps table (in keeping with the two dice theme on the album’s cover, the dice showing a “natural” eleven), portraying Bad Company taking risks and living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.

Sadly, Straight Shooter displayed little of the risk the ad was clearly trying to picture, the band following the same formula as the debut, and one that they more or less chased throughout the remainder of the 1970s (or until Rodgers left the band). Straight Shooter was only slightly less successful than the debut, hitting #3 on the album chart on the strength of the hit single “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” which itself rose to #10, followed by “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” which was also a Top 40 hit single.

Still, the “sophomore slump” for Bad Company was quite obvious, and the band would experience diminishing commercial returns with their recordings as the years wore on, even if Rodgers' enormous voice and charisma, coupled with Mick Ralphs' slashing fretwork, would keep them headlining arenas for the rest of the decade. 

Bad Company Vinyl Reissues & Tour Dates

When I was a wee sprout of a rock ‘n’ roll fanatic, the British blues-rock outfit Free was one of my fave rave bands. As such, I couldn’t understand why they broke up when they broke up…back in those days, there was no Internet to provide gossip, lies, and innuendo, so Paul Kossoff’s drug problems and inter-band tensions weren’t widely-known knowledge…especially to snot-nosed teenage fans.

When former Free frontman Paul Rodgers and the band’s drummer Simon Kirke formed Bad Company with former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, I begrudgingly gave their self-titled 1974 album a spin. Although Bad Company, the album, wasn’t Free, it was still pretty good, and I soon had another favorite band. Quite a few other young rockers must have shared my feelings, because Bad Company shot up to number one on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, eventually selling five million copies on the strength of hit singles like “Can’t Get Enough” (charted at #5) and “Movin’ On” (#19) as well as featuring tunes like “Ready For Love,” “Rock Steady,” and the atmospheric album title track.

On July 1st, 2014 Rhino Records will reissue Bad Company’s first two classic albums – Bad Company and Straight Shooter – on 180-gram vinyl with the complete original packaging. Like its predecessor, Straight Shooter rose up the album charts to the number three position, scoring hit singles with “Feel Like Making Love” (#10) and “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” (#36) and the classic rock radio standard “Shooting Star.” Accompanying the vinyl reissues of their two classic albums, Bad Company will be touring the U.S. this summer with another legendary 1970s era band, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Sadly, Boz Burrell passed away in 2006, but the current Bad Company version includes original members Rodgers, Ralphs, and Kirke along with guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Todd Ronning (from Rodgers' solo band). Vinyl copies of both albums will be on sale at the band’s shows as well as available through fine record shops everywhere.

Bad Company/Lynryrd Skynyrd Summer Tour Dates

07/10/14 @ Waterfront, Bangor ME                           
07/12/14 @ Xfinity Center, Mansfield MA                      
07/13/14 @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien NY                             
07/15/14 @ Walnut Creek Amphitheater, Raleigh NC                           
07/16/14 @ PNC Pavilion, Charlotte NC                        
07/18/14 @ Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden NJ                                 
07/19/14 @ Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow VA                           
07/22/14 @ Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls OH              
07/23/14 @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park IL                      
07/25/14 @ DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston MI