CD Review: Carla Thomas's Stax Classics (2017)

Widely known as the “Queen of Memphis Soul,” singer Carla Thomas was born into Memphis music royalty. The daughter of local music institution Rufus Thomas – a popular and talented Bluff City deejay, comedian, and singer who recorded for labels like Chess, Sun, and Stax Records – Carla was one of three musical siblings, including singer Vaneese Thomas and keyboardist Marvell Thomas. A member of Memphis’ Teen Town Singers (which also once included Isaac Hayes), Thomas sang with the group from the age of ten until she graduated from high school.

At the age of eighteen, Thomas recorded her first single – a 1960 duet with her father titled “Cause I Love You” – released by producer Jim Stewart’s pre-Stax label Satellite Records. She would subsequently become one of the fledgling Stax label’s biggest stars, scoring some 18 R&B chart hits circa 1960-1969, occasionally crossing over to the pop charts and taking her place as arguably the best soul singer, male or female, that Memphis had to offer. The budget-priced Stax Classics offers up a dozen fine Thomas performances, mixing (most of) her chart hits with some obscure album tracks to showcase the underrated singer’s enormous voice and talent.

Carla Thomas’s Stax Classics

Carla Thomas’s Stax catalog comprises a mere six albums, but it was with those little 7” vinyl flapjacks where her talents truly shined. There were hard choices to be made, I’m sure, in what to include and what to exclude when piecing together Thomas’s Stax Classics collection, but in the end the producers assembled a fairly representative (and entertaining) twelve tracks. Thomas’s Stax Classics set opens with “B-A-B-Y,” the singer’s biggest and most enduring hit (#3 R&B, #14 Pop), and a perfect vocal showcase. There’s an innocence and youthful energy at play on the side (Thomas would have been only 24 years old when it was released), but also a knowing, sensual purr that is emphasized by the judicious use of Stax’s horn players.

Thomas and Otis Redding were the biggest-selling female and male artists on the label’s roster so somebody (OK, probably Stax main man Jim Stewart) had the bright idea of having the two talented singers wax an album of duets like those which Motown’s Marvin Gaye had so much success with at the time. “Tramp” was a Top 30 hit single off the 1967 album King & Queen, the song a lively call-and-response between the two singers that is playfully argumentative as Thomas and Redding talk-sing a humorous, melodramatic tale. Sadly, Stax Classics doesn’t include either of the other two Thomas/Redding hits from that album (including a scorching take on “Knock On Wood”), but since the label is reissuing King & Queen on vinyl this summer, I’ll forgive them.

Carla & Rufus Thomas

The collection also includes “Cause I Love You,” Thomas’s duet recorded with her father Rufus which didn’t chart, but is a gem nonetheless. The teenaged Carla’s soulful vocals were nearly fully-formed and offer a sweet counterpoint to her dad’s gruff but affectionate singing. The song doesn’t feature a strong melodic hook, but it does offer a fine foot-shuffling rhythmic line. “I Like What You’re Doing (To Me)” is one of Thomas’s most underrated releases, the 1969 single displaying a fuller range of the singer’s voice and her ability to inject emotion into even the most rote of lyrics. The ballad “Comfort Me” went absolutely nowhere when released in 1965 tho’ I can’t imagine why. Standing proudly on the fine line between classic R&B and pop-influenced early rock ‘n’ roll, Thomas delivers a wonderful vocal performance amidst the crooning backing vocal harmonies and swells of instrumentation.

The Isaac Hayes/David Porter collaboration “When Tomorrow Comes” is another such soul-pop hybrid with lush instrumentation supporting Thomas’s soaring vocals. Although the song crept onto the pop chart at #99 in 1967, it could have been a huge hit if it had received significant airplay on mainstream AM radio. Released later that year, “Pick Up the Pieces” is what we would consider “classic soul” these days, Thomas knocking out another powerful mid-tempo ballad, her vocals flying high above crescendos of orchestration and an undeniable melody. An obscure album track from 1965, “I’ve Got No Time To Lose” shows Carla in Irma Thomas (no relation) mode, belting out the lyrics with strength and feeling that fuses contemporary ‘60s soul with gospel fervor. Thomas’s edition of Stax Classics closes out with the 1969 track “I Play For Keeps,” the song’s overall vibe similar, musically, to the sound that the Fifth Dimension was scoring hits with at the time. Strip away all of the gratuitous strings and instrumentation, though, and you’ll find a lovely soul-pop performance with Thomas’s magnificent voice front and center.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

After the release of her final Stax album, 1971’s Love Means… and an appearance in the 1972 Wattstax film, Thomas largely turned her energy away from chasing hits and towards improving her community. Although the singer toured every now and then during the 1980s, her work with the “Artists in the Schools” program allowed her to inspire Memphis teenagers, earning Thomas a prestigious ‘Pioneer Award’ from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, an honor that placed the singer in the company of fellow R&B and soul legends like James Brown and Solomon Burke.

Carla Thomas’s Stax Classics entry is one of the strongest in the series, showcasing the singer’s dynamic voice and charisma over the course of a dozen songs. However, I’ve knocked a point off the grade for one major omission – the lack of Thomas’s first big hit, 1960’s “Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes),” which was released by Stewart’s Satellite Records label and distributed by Atlantic Records. Peaking at #5 on the R&B chart and #10 pop, the song helped put Thomas on the map and led directly to her subsequent string of hits for the Stax label. If you can include “Cause I Love You,” which is of a similar vintage, then you have to include “Gee Whiz.” Nevertheless, Thomas’s Stax Classics is a treasure of mid-to-late ‘60s soul and pop performances that is available on CD for a pittance. The Rev sez “check it out!” Grade: B+ (Stax Records, released May 19, 2017)

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CD Review: The Dramatics' Stax Classics (2017)

Originally formed in Detroit in 1964 as the Dynamics, R&B legends the Dramatics recorded singles for a number of independent labels during the mid-to-late 1960s, including Golden World and Sport Records, where they scored a minor R&B chart hit with “All Because of You.” The band signed with Stax Records in 1968 but, after releasing one unsuccessful (albeit impressive) single – “Your Love Was Strange” – the Dramatics took off for greener pastures.

The band’s association with the Memphis music institution wasn’t over, though; producer Don Davis re-signed the Dramatics to the Stax subsidiary label Volt Records in 1971 after they’d teamed up with Motor City songwriter and producer Tony Hester. With Hester’s well-written, soulful songs in hand, the band’s wonderful vocal harmonies drove songs like “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get, “In The Rain,” and “Fell For You” to the upper reaches of the R&B and pop charts.

The Dramatics’ Stax Classics

The classic Dramatics line-up featured vocalists Ron Banks, William “Wee Gee” Howard, Elbert Wilkins, Willie Ford, and Larry “Squirrel” Demps, and that’s what you saw (and heard) on the band’s biggest hit, “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.” A molten slab o’ soulful wax, the May single release dominated the AM radio airwaves during the summer of ’71, its syncopated, Latin-tinged rhythms and vocal harmonies leading into an infectious chorus that blew out of your car speakers like a gale of fresh air. The song charted Top Ten (R&B and Pop) but its November follow-up – the Afro-Cuban flavored “Get Up and Get Down” – fared less well commercially. An underrated entry in the Dramatics’ singles catalog, the song evinces a sly, funky groove and vocals that remind of Curtis Mayfield via the Four Tops. “Get Up and Get Down” was a rhythmic dance-floor foot-shuffler with symphonic strains that should have performed much better on the charts than it did (#16 R&B, #78 Pop).

By contrast, “In The Rain,” which followed in February 1972, became the Dramatics’ only R&B chart-topper (and achieved a respectable #5 position on the Pop chart). A moody, ambient ballad with a gorgeous instrumentation and a heady bass line to anchor the whimsical, bluesy lyrics it displayed a facet of the band that differed from their preceding singles. “Hey You! Get Off My Mountain” was a mid-tempo ballad with session pro Dennis Coffey’s filigree guitar licks, haunting harmony vocals that made good use of all the singers’ ranges, and an explosive chorus that helped drive the song to #5 on the R&B chart (#43 Pop). The single’s B-side, “The Devil Is Dope,” is a scorching anti-drug creed reminiscent of the Temptations, the song’s memorable chorus and orchestral scoring providing a larger-than-life feel to the song. Drenched in soul but offering gospel and rock undertones, “The Devil Is Dope” would have made for a strong single release on its own.

The Dramatics’ very first single for Stax – “Your Love Was Strange” – shoulda, coulda been a smash when it was released in October 1969. Showing a clear evolution of the band towards its popular ‘70s-era sound, the song is deep-fried in Motown production technique with obvious Temptations-inspired harmonies (something the band largely moved away from as they developed their own vocal magic), a minor up-tempo rhythm and singing strings. It’s a strong performance, slightly derivative but not much more than anything else on the radio in 1969. Released in August 1973, “Fell For You” would be the band’s last R&B chart hit for Volt/Stax, peaking at #5 while hanging around at #45 on the Pop chart. A low-key ballad with some impressive vocal gymnastics, producer Hester took full advantage of the band’s vocal abilities on the recording. The B-side to “In The Rain,” the uplifting “Gimme Some (Good Soul Music)” is a textbook example of fine pop songwriting with a soulful performance, the band’s soaring vocals wrapping around an inspirational lyrical message in what could have been another monster AM radio hit if it had been released as a solo single.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

This budget-priced Stax Classics set pulls its material mostly from the Dramatics’ Top 20 hit album Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get, but also includes a number of other minor hit singles and rare B-sides from their Stax/Volt tenure. The band only hung around Memphis for three quick studio albums and a live set circa 1971 to 1974 before jumping ship from Stax to ABC Records and, later, MCA Records, where they enjoyed modest success as they incorporated disco moves into their sleek soul music. If only for their timeless early ‘70s hits, the Dramatics’ Stax Classics is worth your time and a little bit of money for a whole lot of great soul music. Grade: B+ (Stax Records, released May 19, 2017)

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CD Review: Isaac Hayes' Stax Classics (2017)

To an entire generation of young ‘uns, Isaac Hayes is best known as the voice of the popular character ‘Chef’ on the long-running TV series South Park. For us graybeards, however, we remember Hayes as one of the boldest and most innovative of the many talented singers, songwriters, and musicians to come out of the Stax Records hit factory in Memphis, Tennessee.

Hayes was much more, of course – he was a film actor (Hustle & Flow, Escape From New York) who also enjoyed various TV roles (The Rockford Files, Stargate SG-1, etc) – as well as a music producer, label executive (Hot Buttered Soul Records), and a humanitarian lauded for his work in Ghana. As a songwriter, often working with partner David Porter, Hayes wrote hits for a number of Stax artists including Sam & Dave (“Soul Man”), Carla Thomas (“B.A.B.Y.”), and Johnnie Taylor (“I’ve Got to Love Somebody’s Baby”), among others. During his lengthy career, Hayes won an Academy Award for his theme from the movie Shaft as well as a multiple Grammy® Awards.

Isaac Hayes’ Stax Classics

For our intents and purposes here, we’re going to focus on Hayes’ contributions to our culture as a performer and songwriter, both of which are perfectly showcased by this Stax Classics collection. Featuring a dozen sizzling tracks culled from Hayes’ tenure as a Stax recording artist circa 1968-1973 and originally released by the Stax subsidiary Enterprise Records, the emphasis here is on Hayes’ success as a singles artist but it also includes a few of his longer, complex, and ground-breaking album tracks. Stax Classics leads off with “Theme from Shaft,” which has become Hayes’ signature song; a muscular blend of funky grooves, thrilling wah-wah guitar licks, and cinematic storytelling, the song also displays Hayes’ proclivity towards orchestrating his music with lush tones and colors. The song was Hayes’ biggest hit, hitting #1 on the pop chart while only rising to #2 on the R&B chart.

Hayes’ 1969 album Hot Buttered Soul – considered a classic of American soul – offered up only four songs, including lengthy jams on Burt Bacharach’s “Walk On By” and Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get To Phoenix” that ran 12 and 18 minutes, respectively, and featured incredible instrumental flights of fancy. Hayes recorded “Walk On By” only a few years after singer Dionne Warwick had scored a #6 chart hit with the song, but his imaginative take earned him a Top 30 single nonetheless. “By the Time I Get To Phoenix” fared slightly less well commercially, but still went Top 40; his Stax Classics offers the truncated single edits of both songs, which still sound great even in shorter form. The Jackson 5 hit “Never Can Say Goodbye,” taken from Hayes’ other bona fide classic, 1971’s Black Moses, is slowed down and dressed up with a dreamy soundtrack and wistful, yearning vocals that would drive the song to #22 on the pop chart and the album to Top 10 status.

Hayes’ original “Do Your Thing” is a master class in ‘70s-era funk, the Top 30 charting pop hit offering shimmering horns, Hayes’ fluid baritone vocals, and a groove so damn tasty it’s like drinking hot sauce straight from the bottle. Stax Classics offers more than the just the chart hits, though, allowing the raucous, funky original tune “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” (from Hot Buttered Soul) to run its full, nearly-ten-minute jaw-dropping album length. If the song doesn’t get your feet shuffling, then you’ve probably assumed room temperature while listening to the album. The instrumental track “Run Fay Run,” from the soundtrack of the 1974 Blaxploitation film Tough Guys for which Hayes wrote the score and co-starred in, is another delightful slice of cinematic soul with brilliant washes of instrumentation and pulse-quickening rhythms while “Soulsville,” from the 1971 soundtrack album Shaft, is an anything-but-traditional R&B tune that showcases Hayes’ soaring vocals and delicate touch on what is an intelligent, socially-conscious story-song.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Released as part of Stax Records’ 60th anniversary celebration, the Stax Classics series highlights some the label’s biggest stars from the 1960s and ‘70s, each budget-priced album offering a dozen songs that transcend the obvious hits to provide a more balanced portrait of the individual artist’s talents. The Isaac Hayes’ edition of Stax Classics does a great job in portraying all the many facets of this talented, pioneering, legendary artist, Hayes’ influence extending far beyond the world of R&B to such diverse artists as Prince and Henry Rollins. For newcomers, Stax Classics provides a heady introduction to Hayes’ charms, and if it prompts listeners to pick up copies of Hot Buttered Soul or Black Moses, so much the better… Grade: A (Stax Records, released May 19, 2017)

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CD Review: Sam & Dave's Stax Classics (2017)

The duo of Sam & Dave stood out even amidst a stable of talent as diverse and legendary as that blessed upon Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee. The legendary R&B duo of Sam Moore and Dave Prater performed together for two decades, from 1961 to 1981, delivering a string of hits that were influential far beyond their chart success. The pair struggled through their early days, and couldn’t buy a hit until they were signed to Atlantic Records by producer and A&R man Jerry Wexler. Sensing their potential, Wexler sent them to Memphis to record for the Stax label, which was distributed by Atlantic at the time.

Wexler’s largesse was pure genius. While at Stax Records, Sam & Dave largely performed material penned by the in-house songwriting team of Dave Porter and Isaac Hayes. This partnership would result in ten consecutive Top 20 R&B chart singles and three Top 10 albums for Sam & Dave, as well as lucrative “crossover” success as the duo made thirteen straight appearances on the pop chart as well as two Top 10 singles. They also helped popularize soul music with white audiences and, in doing so, created an indelible musical legacy that persists to this day. Sam & Dave songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as ZZ Top, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, and the Temptations, among many others.

Sam & Dave’s Stax Classics

As part of Stax Records’ 60th anniversary celebration, the label is revisiting its legendary hitmakers with new CD/LP/digital collections under the Stax Classics banner. Sam & Dave’s Stax Classics opens, appropriately, with the pair’s first Top 20 pop hit, 1966’s “Hold On! I’m Comin’,” which was also their first R&B chart-topper for the Memphis label. With deliciously rowdy vocals soaring above deep rhythms, it’s the ‘go to’ song for many Sam & Dave fans. Better known, perhaps, is their enduring signature song, 1967’s “Soul Man,” also written by Hayes and Porter and featuring an infectious, sing-a-long chorus, brassy horns, and some funky pickin’ by Col. Steve Cropper. Their second chart-topping R&B hit, “Soul Man” narrowly missed dominating the pop world as well, peaking at a respectable #2 on the pop chart. The last of the duo’s trio of larger-than-life hits, 1968’s “I Thank You” evinces a sly funky groove that would subsequently inspire everybody from George Clinton to Sly Stone in the years to follow. “I Thank You” was also a Top 10 pop hit would peak at #4 on the R&B chart.

There’s more to Sam & Dave than those three hits, however, some of the best of which is showcased on Stax Classics. Their cover of Sam Cooke’s “Soothe Me” breathes new life into an obscure track with an enchanting performance that succeeded artistically if not commercially (it was only a modest hit). Sandwiched in between their big hits, 1965’s “You Don’t Know Like I Know” offers a uniquely Sam & Dave spin on what could have been a Motown hit while the soul classic “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down” is provided a bluesy, almost gospel fervor that would later inspire Elvis Costello to cover the song. With a loping groove, piano tinkling, and a heavy bass line, “You Got Me Hummin’” juxtaposes the two singer’s voices against each other to great effect as the horns punctuate the song’s mesmerizing rhythm. The album-closing “I Take What I Want” mimics the Ray Charles’ hit “I Don’t Need No Doctor” with its strident rhythms but Sam & Dave take it up a notch with a subtle albeit strong vocal performance dancing atop a surging guitar riff.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

There have been a lot of variations on a Sam & Dave “greatest hits” compilation released through the years, including 2009’s sixteen-track The Very Best of Sam & Dave album and the one that the Reverend originally bought back in the day, 1981’s twenty-one track The Best of Sam & Dave, both of which are still available if you look hard enough. The budget-priced Stax Classics does a fine job of distilling the duo’s immense legacy to a lean ‘n’ mean twelve tracks, however, offering crystalline remastered sound and fresh, informative liner notes for both the newcomer and longtime fan. This is soul music at its very best, excellently performed by the legendary duo of Sam & Dave. Grade: A (Stax Records/Rhino Records, released May 19, 2017)