Reviews (page 5 of 12)
Solomon Burke has an incredible voice. The guitar work is sublime. The horns and backing singers provide the perfect punctuation. Overall I loved the arrangements and production.
I have to laugh at Just Out of Reach, because it sounded like the women's chorus was singing "just out of reach of my NPR." I don't really dig that style of backing vocals, so I was glad they only showed up on a couple tracks. This is a truly great album. It needs to be added to my rotation.
6/19/24. Some good, soulful blues for Juneteenth! Blues can be repetitive to me, but couldn't deny the vocals and slightly different arrangements in the songs. Will definitely revisit!
Nice early soul album. Added to my collection.
Really fun and funky - great easy listening!
Rather good.
Cry to Me bangertje Lekker hoor
p69. 1964. 4 stars. One of the THE great soul voices on peak form, let down by some sub-par material. When it's good, it's brilliant.
I liked it
Wow - what a voice Some of the songs run out of steam a little but I could listen to him sing for years
Easy
Gentle, Dirty Dancing soundtrack as song one - nice to know who wrote it!
Cry to Me !
I liked this a lot but I prefer Sam Cooke or Otis Redding.
Cry to Me is just an absolutely great song. I didn’t think some of the other songs were as engaging. I actually liked some of Solomon Burkes later albums better. But still, pretty good
This was a lot of fun! Somewhere between Elvis and Sam Cooke
This was a great listen. I always feel unqualified to judge music this old, but it had a lot of personality. 3.5 rounded up.
Great vocals. Cry To Me Goodbye Baby (6/8) If You Need Me (Wilson Pickett) Can't Nobody Love You (lyrics reference Sam Cooke and Ray Charles) Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)
Goodbye Baby If You Need Me Hard, Ain't It Hard Someone To Love Me
Solid
like it very much. strong voice and good songs. just your typical music ig.
Honestly, this is just a good classic soul album. It doesn't hold any significance to me, but it was a nice listen while making myself breakfast, and that’s what I wanted today.
Such a lovely voice and a great vibe. Wouldnt put this on to listen to regularly but def for a romantic eve
This was pretty good Ill go check out his other music
Classic. So good.
Such a lovely listen.
This was new to me and I very much loved it. Solomon's music will be fun to explore!
Definitely one everyone should be exposed to. Classic R & B.
I think this is a swing? Blues? Soul album? I don’t know but it was groovy nonetheless
I actually quite enjoyed this. Not too much to say other than it was a pleasant surprise and very listenable and avoids some of the samey vibes of so many similar albums from this era.
this was pleasant music. a bit samey across the album but solomon has a powerful and emotive voice. it's about a 3.5 for me. favorites: cry to me, can't nobody love you
This is such good classic soul. I had only heard a few of the songs before, but pretty much every song on the record is awesome. Listened to the first Elvis album yesterday, and it pales in comparison (literally). Would love to have a good vinyl pressing of this one too. Four stars.
Really good.
Very good 4.1
Lovely
good
Day89 - smooth, soulful. solomon burke could sing the phone book and make it sound cool
I had not recalled the artist's name but definitely knew Cry to Me. The whole album was aptly named and fun to listen to.
Nice. Preferred the higher energy numbers, but it was a morning listen!
A pretty smooth listen, and recorded in pretty good quality for '64. That said, even for its time it seems it would have been a little dated in sound, with Beatlemania and the hippies right around the corner. Still, it's peak clean East Coast soul, and Burke probably deserves more recognition for that powerful voice.
I had never heard of him before. Great listen
An enjoyable album
Fun album with a classic doowop vintage vibe. Great morning listen.
Weird that we have albums named Truth and Soul and Rock N' Soul on back to back days. Will never complain about a nice soul album coming up. The singing and easy instrumentals in the background are always a great change of pace to some of the weird ass albums that pop up some days.
Really pleasant listen. It got a bit repetitive at times. Still, he has a wonderful voice and you can hear the influence he has on later artists.
Yaaayyyyy
I don't like a lot of soul music, but this was a great listen. The pace and tempo of the songs really live up to the "Rock" in the album title, and his voice is equal parts smooth and enough grit to be interesting. I'd definitely listen to this again.
"Rock 'N Soul" by Solomon Burke is a powerful and soulful album that showcases Burke's incredible vocal talents. Released in 1964, the album features a mix of rock and roll and soul tracks, including hits like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Cry to Me." Burke's voice is the standout feature of the album, with his deep, rich tone conveying a wide range of emotions. The arrangements are tight and energetic, with a lively rhythm section and soulful backing vocals. While some tracks may feel somewhat dated, overall, "Rock 'N Soul" is a classic example of 1960s soul music at its best. Fans of vintage soul and R&B will find much to enjoy in this album, which captures Burke at the height of his powers as a vocalist.
good, old and honest rock and soul, right
Some great songs, some so so
That was a wonderful example of early Rock and Soul music. My girlfriend's going to love making out to it.
Sock n roll.
I think most music these days lack that raw emotion and I hate that for the new generation.
Chill classic spul
Amazing voice and some good tunes.
Great soul album and a great voice (he sounds like John Fogerty at some points). The instruments and arrangements are what really pull this album together. To me, the thing that makes one soul album sound different from another is the band, and this band is great and has some really fun parts. The first half of this album is 5/5 second half isn't as strong and lowers it down to a 4 (but it is close to a 5).
This is pretty much the definition of undeniably good. I think humanity is lucky to have this album and other albums like it.
Quite enjoyed this and only found out after listening that this was the first soul album. Pretty cool that Solomon Burke paved the way for a while genre
I liked this a lot! This was very easy to listen to. This album's genre is listed as soul but it can easily pass as old school rock and roll too. I'm somewhere between a 4 and 5 for this one. Let's call it 4.5.
I love love love love love Solomon Burke. Cry to Me is the first song in this project I wanted to rate six stars. The album is delightful overall and has its peaks and valleys. I first became aware of him via their excellent 2002 album Don't Give Up on Me. A well curated best-of compilation of Solomon Burke would easily earn five stars from me.
A great voice, a great album. This starts out with three 4 and 5 star songs, and then settles in to finish out with 3 and 4 star songs the rest of the way. A really nice listen.
Lots of R&B singers reference Solomon Burke, now I know why.
- 'Cry to me' is such an excellent song! - Beautiful singing voice - Fantastic album for an afternoon at work - 'Can't nobody love you' is another banger
Dirty Dancing!!! This was a lot of fun.
I love this old style music and Solomon has a fantastic voice. It reminds me of listening to Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. Not a terrible long album at 12 songs and 40 minutes. I thought the first have of the album was definitely stronger than the second half but more of a 5 vs 4 so not a huge difference
Sweet and soulful
forgot to download songs but easy listen would listen again if on
Nr. 127/1001 Cry to Me 4/5 Just Out Of Reach 3/5 Goodbye Baby 4/5 If You Need Me 4/5 Can't Nobody Love You 4/5 Someone to Love Me 4/5 You're Good For Me 4/5 Won't You Give Him 4/5 Hard, Ain't It Hard 4/5 You Can't Love Em All 4/5 Beautiful Brown Eyes 4/5 He'll Have To Go 3/5 Average: 3,83 Really soulful & fun listen.
What a voice! What songs! What a performance! What harmonies! What a recording! Hot damn. The plucky little guitar parts on the second half take away from it, giving it a dinky jazz-psuedo-bluegrass sound that distracts from the core strengths of the album. It's like they accidentally left on a track of the engineer noodling along on top of the recordings. Otherwise, this totally nails the arrangements/instrumentation. The bass is great, the clean little guitar stabs are perfect, even the strings aren't too cheesy and I loved the Spanish bolero style horns on Can't Love em All. But that voice, damn!
Nice stuff
Love portions of this …. His voice, that early soul sound Starting a 1001 playlist and going to put 2–5 songs on from each album… Then I’ll listen over the weekend and keep just the ones that I really like… saved five from this album ….
Good find
Ta bien, love soul
If ever I find myself in the mood for some old-school soul music, I can see myself reaching for this. Not quite as smooth as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, or Wilson Pickett. But that’s not a bad thing.
Can't hate it
for a mood
Loved that he gave a shoutout to Sam and Charles. Very good music, even if not hits.
Aptly named album. Great listen.
Classic
Muy bueno sobre todo las primeras canciones
Timeless tunes. Great listen. 👍👍
Just a solid R&B album. Not much else to say
Daring and recognizable, all in one stroke!
Solid.
Classic.
It was good. He's got a good voice. Overall, enjoyable listen.
Un album de soul facile à écouter, la voix de Burke est particulièrement agréable.
Love the sound of this sort of music, nice to sing along to and just good vibes
Good soul music, more guitars, and I liked his voice also. Much less jazzy than other typical soul albums, but I didn’t mind that Lyrics mostly about love etc, often focused more of the physical side Solid 4****
Enjoyable, good blues/soul sound. Very chill.
There are some really good songs here. The most gospel rock-inflected R&B music by Solomon Burke isn't necessarily my favorite subgenre of R&B. I think this album deserves a place on the list and if every song was similar in sound to "He'll Have to Go," which I had never heard before and immediately added to my collection, then I could give this album 5 stars. Still, a really good album and Burke's voice is incredible and has so much feeling to it. If this album is on, then I would listen to it and be happy. I am not sure I would search it out though.
Curti
What a treat to listen to. Burke's voice was calming and melodic. Thoroughly enjoyed, though the genre is not my favorite and I can't see this entering my rotation. I appreciate the artistry and think that anyone who is into blues will enjoy this album tremendously.
Ganz o.k.
Not my favorite genre. But i like this one.
A great voice and a warm sound
Great, achingly cool. Wish I was as cool as Solomon Burke (please be aware that I retract that last statement in the event of Solomon Burke or associates being cancelled in any way at any time due to circumstances that I do not support or in any way wish to be associated with. For a full list of these circumstances please refer to my "Manifesto on Reprehensible Acts" First Published 2017, revised monthly since then. Such acts include but are not limited to - Chicken Marriage, Laughing at swans, Accidentally writing things when young and foolish that people will continue to hold you accountable for even though you have changed, even though those sentiments were previously commonly held, even though you are arguably not the same person you once were; and enjoying Polka).
This is another good listen, not as good as the Fats Domino one we just had, but strong throughout and has a few different styles to mix it up.
Another golden oldie. Had never heard of Solomon Burke, but his voice is just fab, isn't it? Tonnes of soul and richness to it, and it just sounds like he's got a massive smile on his face whilst doing it. That said, it's missing something - I think there was a bit more to the Fats Domino album, this is a bit samey throughout in terms of the arrangements and backing vocals. Still, I'm smiling at the end of it, so it just squeaks a 4.
Great actually? Damn.
I vibe with it. Eight or so albums in, this one is so far the most "I'd never listened to this one before, but I'll be sure to do so again after today" one I've come across yet.
This isn’t an album you judge by modern standards. This is the sort of album that in 1964, you bought, you sat down, and you just listened. The lyrics eventually came to you the more you listened. This is a vocal showcase, but it’s also a musical showcase – not about how many synths you can use, or how fast you can drum or strum, or how fast you can spit out a melody, but a musical showcase of the innate spiritual feeling it gives some people, regardless of genre. For my own personal enjoyment, I think just sitting here, vibing, and letting that feeling overcome me is a better experience than either of the last two albums we’ve listened to. I think for me, it’s a strong 3.5 that personally rounds up to a 4, but you have to be in the right mindset and mood for it to be a 4. It’s certainly no less than a 3.
Would be great to have this record
Awesome
Great voice.
Loved it!
Best song - can't nobody love you
Solomon Burke is a cool dude and I like these tunes
Pretty solid album.
This album has a definite decade feel to it, I generally like soul (or soul-adjacent) music, so this one hit just right. I liked it but thought it was a little too 50's generic to get a 5, I'd have preferred a 3.5, but we are stuck with the ratings we have, not the ones we want. Today I'm feeling generous and rounding up.
Absolutely solid soul album. Listen to it.
I liked that it was only 35 minutes for 12 songs. I think it's a good album, but this was probably the only time I will ever listen to it.
Rock n Soul is a great title and captures what this album is. It's quintessential early '60s
I’m not into this decade or sound at all, but this was nice to listen to while I decorated the Christmas tree. Maybe just a mood
I’d never heard his voice before but it’s a great one. Lots of soul. It led to a good seed for other songs too. I’ll remember this one.
Solid soul. Sang from a red and gold throne later when wheelchair bound led a church / cult similarly. 4 wives
Cry to Me- 8/10 Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)- 7/10 Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)- 9/10 If You Need Me- 7/10 Can't Nobody Love You- 7/10 Someone to Love Me- 7/10 You're Good to Me- 8/10 Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)- 7/10 Hard, Ain't It Hard- 6/10 You Can't Love 'Em All- 6/10 Beautiful Brown Eyes- 7/10 He'll Have To Go- 6/10 85/120
4/5 I liked it.
Un album qui s'écoute tout seul!
Soulful
Influential, inspirational, soulful.
Fav song: cry to me
Amazing
Good stuff
Good, groovy, classic, but just not fantastic. A good easy listen that I could be ok with hearing any day.
Con buena voz y buenas canciones. Toques de soul y rock. Inicio de todo. Para ser de la época, buen disco
This is a pretty darn sexy album. Bluesy and soulful, I can just imagine the emotion that was put into writing and recording it. Low 4
Fantastic - real musicians. After five seconds, it was clear this would be an excellent album.
9/10
Great cabin music
Nice, chill album with great sound
Man!
Yup this seals it, great week of albums. Didn't know Solomon Burke outside of a featured track on a soul xmas album I enjoy and this was really pleasant. Great example of the genre and the era. Incredible voice. Up there with Sam Cooke. 2nd track wasnt my cup of tea at all but the rest age really well, if a bit samey.
Enjoyed the vocals and song writing a lot. I generally like more guitar solos on blues records but this was still very enjoyable
A very good, but not great soul record. He definitely has a powerful voice, but nothing here really blew me away. Would like to give it 3.5 but it gets the benefit of the doubt.
Undeniably great voice and I enjoyed the B side with the Latin fingerpicking
Just good. The soulful crooning over some decently melodic and catchy songs. Though i don't think there is anything that i'd want to play on repeat, there isn't anything to skip here either. All strong.
jaj de jó
Enjoyed. Classic 60's R&B
Very pleasant to listen to. Full of love songs. The backup singers really enhanced each song. This is the type of music I think of when I think of the 60s.
Tasty soul
Ah, back when soul, country, R&B, and rock 'n roll were basically the same thing! Felt more like a collection of singles than an album, but still a blast. And man, those vocals! This guy probably destroyed some expensive studio microphones back in the day.
otis like
Quality soul record from the past. Such good grooves.
Loved it
Bastante fresco y diverso , 3.5/4 sobre 5. Bien riconudo la verdad para tener de fondo así algo fresco.
I am a sucker for early 60s soul and rock songwriting, and this isn't any different. Didn't knock my socks off or anything, just overall solid, and a lot of passionate delivery. Favorite tracks: "Cry To Me", "If You Need Me"
Heartwarming. Great for background (in the best way possible) and creating an atmosphere
Fun listen!
Full of soul and emotion, a beautiful songwriter. 9/10.
What a great collection of soul songs on this record. Just impeccably excellent from start to finish.
Like a lot of music of this era, I love the sound of it, as long as I don't listen too closely to the lyrics
Burke was a unique talent with a lot of power, and he is well worth a listen.
You're Good For Me top 10 værste sange at få skrevet om sig lmao
Never heard of this guy. Good music. Enjoyed this laid back time.
very dirty dancing vibes! love this. also reminds me of grandma and papa
was good
Classic genre-defining sound with easy listening tunes that somehow don't feel formulaic.
whole album very listenable. Wont you give him was very good. Reminded me of the Beatles.
Nice album, shades of both Sam Cooke and Joe Cocker.
Great stuff, maybe a bit tame overall, but what a great voice. Favourite song: Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)
71/100
Short 'n sweet, nigh on perfect.
what a beautiful album! solomon burke's voice is so pleasant, and the music itself is an engaging mix of rock and soul, hence the cute album title. this kind of older music is my catnip! soul is definitely the primary genre (like, so much that soul has a capital S), but burke includes country at times, too. his soulful voice makes it work, though! the background singers don't quite get their fair praise on this album. their backing of burke allows songs to become well rounded. there's no way "just out of reach (of my two empty arms)" could sound so beautiful without those background singers! i can't even find record of who his background singers are, which is such a shame.
Really enjoyed this, sounds really old but his tone and the tempo are great - will listen to more by this artist
Favourite songs: Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye), You're Good For Me, If You Need Me, Beautiful Brown Eyes, He'll Have to Go Least favourite songs: Someone to Love Me 4/5
Such a beautiful voice. It’s a perfect album to put on in the background at home on a weekend. I’ll be definitely going back to it. It does seem a bit monotonous though. My favourite song is Goodbye Baby!
What a voice and how well used. Could do a little country (a poor man's "Cold Cold Heart,", a little calypso, too, name-dropping Ray Charles (if one's not mistaken) and ballads and lovers' plaints all over the place, and all of it with soul, so much soul.
Og
Respect. The early days of rock and roll. Sweet songs.
Me encanta, simplemente exquisito
Pretty cool!
Excellent early rock and roll. Aptly named title.
Enjoyed listening to the album. Have always liked 50-60’s music.
Highlights: Won't You Give Him, Goodbye Baby, He'll Have to Go Leave Em's: Beautiful Brown Eyes, You're Good for Me Overall Thoughts: This album was perfectly named Rock 'N Soul. I don't recall ever hearing any of these specific songs before, but this album captures the essence and the sound of the times in 1964. I have always been a big fan of this style of music as I find it easily enjoyable and seemingly difficult to do wrong. I was not looking to skip through songs or waiting for them to be over. Some songs I liked more then the others, but I didn't truly feel like the album would be better off without the ones I didn't like. If there were a few more recognizable tracks on this album I think it would flirt with a perfect rating in my opinion. A great voice over classic instruments and backup vocals is a recipe for enjoyable music. Score Breakdown: 3.983 & 4 -> 3.992
It was alright. Probably very good for it's time, but in the face of the soul music of the next 10-15 years it's very much overshadowed. 3.5/5
It's wild to me that this is the first I've heard of Solomon Burke. He should be spoken of in the same breath as artists like Sam Cooke, as he can croon and shout with the best of them. The soul drips from his voice, and the arrangements are often groovy. At the end of the day, he's doing exactly what other artists of his time were doing. But he's doing it well.
****
A total pleasure.
This might be an indicator of how this 1001 adventure has changed my approach to listening to music, at least a little. Upon first spinning this album, I liked it, but that was about it. Sounded a bit rough around the edges — though I suspected this might have been a one-take live in the studio affair in large part — and this early rock and roll (and soul!) was never my favorite, partly due to the limitations of the subject matter. Pretty much all about love... lost love, new love, gimme another try love. This fell squarely into that. After one spin, this was going to get a 3-star rating. It was good, I appreciated the rawness and bits of humor. Then, it started to play again, and I was able to home in on different things in the mix (which was very strange — again, didn't sound like the A-team was on that) and I became more impressed and enamored with the arrangements and ideas. And Burke's sense of humor shone even brighter on the second listen, and I started actively enjoying the songs. "You Can't Love 'Em All" is probably my fave, with the ramshackle backup singers adding an extra punch and good humor, and the calling out of Sam Cooke and Ray Charles in "Can't Nobody Love You" was ballsy. And "You're Good For Me" was another twist on the "boy and girl" lyrical theme and I was won over.
Lovely summery soul from a singer I wasn't really aware of before. It lives up to the title, particularly the 'soul' part. The album seems a bit schizophrenic in terms of sound and production in places, but I absolutely love the voice and the arrangements.
Long been a fan of Solomon Burke and this is a fine collection. Includes the magnificence that is Cry To Me. And if some of the songs are a little pedestrian his incredible vocals raise them up.
4.5 stars. The name defines it. Rock and roll elements by one of the fathers of soul. Contagious singing that is hard not to get into. Contains lots of hits but standout is "Cry to Me."
Amazing voice. Fun songs.
A delight, and a real time capsule. Tend to expect albums from this era to have a few bangers on them and a lot of filler, but this is consistently high quality.
Didn’t listen to it all but liked what I heard
Nice! I only knew Burke from his collaboration with 'De Dijk' and I really enjoyed that album. This album is a great combination of soul, rock 'n roll and blues. Awesome!
Lovely album
Very soulful
Very old but very good. Flits between rock, folk, country and soul effortlessly - not easy to pull off!
Aan het einde van zijn carrière was de stem van Solomon Burke een aantal octaven gezakt, en zat hij in zijn rolstoel moddervet te wezen, maar maakte hij wel mooi een album met De Dijk, met hun opvallend goed naar het Engels vertaalde nederhits. De man overleed, net geland op Schiphol, nog in het vliegtuig, terwijl hij die avond een concert met Huub en zijn mannen zou geven. Maar goed, hier is Solomon nog jong en een stuk dunner. Het is allemaal wel leuke muziek, maar echte uitschieters zitten er ook weer niet tussen. We hebben betere soul gehad in deze lijst.
Solid soul album. Solomon is a fantastic singer, I could listen to his voice all day. Every song here is good, but they’re all essentially basic love songs so it can get somewhat repetitive. Very comfy listen, I’ll probably come back to this sometime in the future.
Not bad at all.
Good soul album
I love the backing vocals and the songwriting. really good work vibe. favorite track in first listen was won't you give him (one more chance) and my least was cant nobody love you just because I'm so used to the zombies version
HL: "Cry To Me", "Just Out of Reach", "Beautiful Brown Eyes", "Someone To Love Me", "Won't You Give Him One More Chance" Not familiar with these songs, but it's straight comfort food for me 🍲
Buttery, silky voice. Immediately reminded me of Sam Cooke. I have never heard Solomon before and while these may just be your standard love and loneliness songs, he executes them so well. Lots of guitar licks, with some horn, keys, and backing vocals to carry this album to a wonderful place. I loved it.
Cry to Me has been a favorite for a long while thanks to Dirty Dancing, but I was surprised to find new favorites. What a voice! It feels like he's signing straight to your soul. I was raised on 60s soul & rock, so this felt warm & familiar. Great addition to this challenge. 4 stars.
This was a fun way to start the day. I very much enjoyed this one.
With a voice as smooth as butter Rock 'N Soul by Solomon Burke ranks with the classics of the original rock and roll founders like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and on-and-on. Pop Soul as Burke's sound is helped lay the tracks for Otis, Motown and other black artists to once again, pave the way for future musicians to walk on.
Good voice and full of soul, but I think I'd get a little bored of it after a while. Lyrically not too complex, but it wasn't too distracting.
Pretty good early RnB/rock and roll album. Solomon as a lot of groove and sounds a lot like Otis Redding. Pretty nice. 7,6/10
I'm not a fan of soul, I wouldn't choose any album from this genre for my everyday listening playlist, but after hearing Solomon Burke for the first time today I might change that. "Rock 'N Soul" is an incredibly climactic and atmospheric album, moving you straight to a jazz club in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee. First five songs to start the record were simply amazing and sounded very fresh - I would not guess, that this LP has almost 60 years. Beautiful and deep voice by Solomon was perfectly mixed with a female choir, and on the top of that a great upbeat music created an almost perfect recipe for success. In the second part the album slowed down a bit, but still maintained a high level throughout. great record, that widened my horizon just a little bit more.
Cry to Me is a total jam, and If You Need Me is a gem
What a fun album! I had been barely acquainted with Solomon Burke previously, but this album was a gem and I look forward to revisiting it. 4/5.
Good stuff. Lesser known than some of his peers, but I liked him as much as I like Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. Very nice voice.
Not bad
I'm a sucker for this type of music, the soul leaving into the blues rather than jazz like Gil Scott-Heron. Really made me want to listen to Sam Cooke and Bill Withers.
Very lovey dovey and soulful. Great sound quality. Solomon Burkes voice and singing is amazing. Songs are a bit repetitive in theme and sound.
So full of soul, great listening.
I’d never heard any Solomon Burke before today… and what a voice I was missing out on. Described as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the early 1960’s, he has never enjoyed the same level of success, ubiquity and ongoing influence as Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. After listening to “Rock n Soul”, it’s hard to see why. He possesses a stunning range and great control: sometimes he howls, sometimes he croons, sometimes he wails, always with tremendous depth of feeling. When he sings “I’ll never see brown eyes again” in “Beautiful Brown Eyes”, you really believe it. “Can’t Nobody Love You” is perhaps his most showstopping vocal performance of all, flipping from raspy grit to soft honeydew within a single phrase. Dense multi-layered lead and backing vocals help to add an immensely satisfying, thick sound (see the backing vocals in “Someone to Love Me”, or all of “You’re Good for Me”). Burke’s voice is by far the key selling point: as pleasant as the songs are, they’re mostly forgotten standards of the day. They’re also mainly soul numbers with little in the way of rock: the mournful waltz-time ballads (“If You Need Me”, “Goodbye Baby”) become a little wearing within the short runtime. It would have been nice to hear more upbeat tracks like “Cry to Me” and the excellent “Hard, Ain’t It Hard”. Later in the album, “Won’t you Give Him (One More Chance)” are “You Can’t Love ‘Em All” are both intriguing changes of pace from the first few tracks, with Latin-inspired percussion and rhythm. Burke then croons his way out on the traditional-sounding “He’ll Have To Go”, a disappointingly understated finale (but the string arrangement is nice). “Rock n Soul” may not change my life, and I may not die full of gratitude to have heard it. But it’s a beautiful place to spend half an hour.
Man, Cry To Me is the real deal, even 60 years later it really hits. I can see why it was used in DD.
A lovely soul/R&B album, Solomon Burke's voice is very good, very smooth. I liked this album.
A great mixture of rock and soul. Sounds great but doesn't soar as much as either of the genres separately.
What a great voice. I feel a bit embarrassed I don't recognize his name but I do recognize a few songs. His softer songs (Out of Reach, You're Good to Me, Beautiful Brown Eyes) aren't as good as the rest, maybe because that voice should always be set to soar or because his backup singers can't match his quality (they sound bland in comparison). But he is on fire on Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby, If You Need Me, You Can't Love Em All, He'll Have to Go (one softy where his voice still carries). And he's still pretty good on the rest. I read he prefers to be called soul and not R&B, but whatever it is, if he was a pioneer of this sound, god bless.
I liked it.
An absolute unit of a man. Saw the year of release and thought it’d be one of those that had aged like milk, but I was pleasantly surprised. Grew on me with every listen
What a voice. Sounds great for 63. Founder of soul. Why isn’t this guy more renown? Enjoyed that SoT Cry to Me Just Out of Reach Can’t nobody love you Won’t you give him one more chance You can’t love em all 4/5
7/10 fallout soundtrack vibes. Some pretty bad lyrics
Being a worse Sam Cooke isn’t too bad. I think there was a bit of country twang in some of the slower songs that made me like them less. 7/10
Possibly the same person as Otis Redding. Has anyone ever seen them together?
Really enjoyed this record brought me to a place I’ve never been before. This sound was so rich and his nostalgic vocals were gold. The love lyrics could relate to me as well. Definitely added some of these songs to my rotation.
groovy, smooth, romantic. its good!
Great tracks on here. He does a great job at blending the old-school 50s doo-wop sound with the newer, more energetic 60s soul/Motown sound.
Awesome voice! Worth relistening at some point. Highlight : Can't nobody love you.
Cry to Me is solid gold. This singer sounds best when he doesn’t try to sound like Elvis.l, IMO. Overall, a great album that I am happy I have heard before dying. ;)
Good
Was in the mood for this.
Feels like every mediocre soul singer/group in the 60s was trying to recapture what happened here, but it's inimitable. Best track: You're Good for Me
"Rock 'N Soul" is a studio album by American singer Solomon Burke also referred to as "The King of Rock 'N Soul," "King Solomon," "Bishop of Soul" and the "Muhammed Ali of Soul." Burke embraced the interconnectedness of rock and soul. This album was originally released as an LP as Atlantic Record #8096. This album is sort of a compilation of his songs including seven top 100 hits. Burke has a fabulous soulful voice mixed with more rock-pop sounding music "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)" starts strong with female backing vocals which then harmonize with Burke's voice. Right away he earns his nicknames. One of his biggest songs "Cry to Me" has Burke begin in almost a whisper. He then goes loud and back soft. With the piano, more of a rock song. Honestly, not the best sounding production and mix, kind of muddled. "If You Need Me" is a great example of a rock and soul mix with the music and vocals. "Beautiful Brown Eyes" is romantic and soulful with the horns. The album ends with my favorite song "He'll Have to Go." Strings are added. It's slower. He's telling his girlfriend her other guy will have to go. This is a great album if only just listening to Burke's voice. The music has that early 60's sound. Sometimes not the best quality production/mixing but worth it for the overall music.
This was totally new and awesome
I enjoyed this album a lot, especially the vocals.
Enjoyable but not amazing
Wow. How had I never heard of this? This guy is the link between the rock'n'roll of the fifties and the soul of James Brown.
Solid soul vibes
Was not familiar with the artist and this had a great groove
Truly amazing, how's this been kept secret?
Some fascinatingly frantic 12-string on this LP. There would probably be no John Fogarty without Solomon Burke. A great record.
ça m'a plu
Enjoyed this. (And the short songs, too!)
Varied enough to not sound same same like some of its contemporaries and retain my interest.
I had never heard of Solomon Burke before, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this vibrant record. There is nothing truly groundbreaking happening, perhaps if it was released 10 years earlier, and the lyrical content is not complex at all, but Burke's voice is magnetic and the instrumentation on point. The tracks never overstay their welcome, and there is plenty of variety both in genre, mood and dynamics. Pleasantly surprised!
Easy listening - really liked it
Bluesy. I recognize a song from dirty dancing soundtrack
Una joya oculta. No conocía el nombre ni el disco y la verdad es que es muy bueno. Algo como entre Otis Redding y Elvis de sus primeros años (?).
Fun songs from an era long gone. The picking is excellent and reminds me of how Brian Jones played. The intricate picking continues through the verses in a way that isn't interruptive. The ability to do this impresses me.
Old school cool and classic love songs.
A historically noteworthy and highly listenable album. I really love the very simple and early production on this album, but you can tell they were trying some things. The instrumentation sounds great and Solomon's voice is like silk. If you wanted one criticism its that the songwriting is a bit samey after a while, but then again, its soul, that's not really the point. What a pleasure to listen to.
I really enjoyed this!
A very enjoyable, little soul album. It seems to have more depth than is apparent on the first spin and I might give it another listen in the future. Haven't listened to much classic soul since a while so it was a nice throwback for me.
Pleasent 4/5
Great voice!
So classic, so good
An overall delight, with shades of the great Sam Cooke. This is just loaded with hit after hit. The ideal album for those who can't give their love to just one person.
I feel like I'm in a very cool bay area brunch joint. Or possibly a Quentin Tarantino film. Great, but great for specific contexts is what I'm saying: not an everyday listen. (Except why not? Because it doesn't feel like "my life"?)
I dig it
Obviously I’m gonna love 60s R&B. Feels a bit like “Otis Redding with more production”
Classic foundational stax soul. Amazing performance, pretty good songs. Coming so soon after Ray Charles may have done this album a disservice.
Excellent vibe
I really enjoyed the blues-rock blend on this album, and while the lyrics were very simple, his emotions poured out, and I could feel the sting of heartbreak seven decades gone. Cry to Me was my personal favorite, I also especially loved If You Need Me and Beautiful Brown Eyes.
I enjoyed listening to this, but I'll probably never listen to it again. I'm not great at reviewing things but I enjoyed this listen. So yea, there it is.
Great album, mostly rock-'n'-roll ballards
its in the name i guess old time rock and soul mixed, i love the sound on this track for some reason feels different than other records from its time, decent songs too
Solid.
Smooth - very smooth. Fave track - "If You Need Me". I quite like his preoccupation with landlines.
tem algo sobre esse tipo de musica que nenhum outro tipo consegue entregar, é uma forma de empolgação e ao mesmo tempo tristeza por não ser amado
Oh man. I'm always a sucker for jazz, blues, and soul. This kind of had Sam Cooke vibes, in a good way. I didn't adore it but I did strongly like it. How could you not with that voice? This album makes me want to curl up with a scotch and watch Mad Men. Favorite track: Beautiful Brown Eyes. Lovely production, soulfully sung, great time signature, and blue eyes have enough songs about them already. Nice to have some variety in here.
Yes
Loved it. Smooth, well written songs!
There are some mind-blowing good songs on this album and some really lack lutre ones. But a great voice and soo much heart ache makes this a stomper.
Horney Gospel. Love it! This guy an sing. What a talent. Really enjoyed this album.
Lovely
Very good album. Classic R&B sound and very talented singer. Some hits on here that stand the test of time.
first listen classic crooner soul
05/07/2022 Really great stuff here! Great voice; could listen to this all day.
Great sultry voice! "Cry to Me" gets bonus points for being on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack 😁 A bit of a one-faceted album but a wonderful listen
Such easy listening! Enjoyed this a lot with smooth vocals
So good. Great singing. Great arrangements. Great songs. Feel it in my bones mannnn
Imagine have the soul to sing 'Cry to Me' with the power and emotion of Solomon Burke. Almost makes me feel like an inferior human being. Sadly his 'prodigious output' means it's a mixed bag of an album, he was probably already writing his next album 10 minutes after releasing this one.
There’s an honesty and purity and directness to this singing and playing that is very rewarding. Burke had such a big voice, but it’s agile and fluid, too, moving smoothly through the different sub-styles (e.g., Calypso, blues, ballads). “You Can’t Love Them All” and “Beautiful Brown Eyes” are the highlights for me. 4/4. Easy.
That man can sing.
Iv never heard of Solomon Burke before but I have heard cry to me before from dirty dancing. I’m a fan of Sam Cooke and Otis Reading so was always going to enjoy this. A great soul album one I’ll add to my rotation.
Heel mooi
I really like this genre
Lovely 60s soul
RnB com uns temperos de country? Massa. Gostei, o álbum fluiu com tranquilidade. 7/10
cry to me é pica, versão do idles topp tb
baco exu do blues tem razão
Flott snemm-soul plata. Lögin skemmtileg og flutningurinn dúndur. Mæli með.
This is a pretty good record. Cry To Me is a great classic tune. You Can't Love 'Em All is a little creepy in a Mambo Number 5 kind of way. Solomon has such a powerful voice and I like how subtly he goes from crooning to wailing. The album has a really great 60's R&B/Soul feel.
Banger
This one kind of stunned me. I was not expecting so many quality songs. Us there a genre Solomon can't do and make his own. He does a country song that is note perfect. I had to spin this one twice to begin to appreciate his incredible range. 4.5 🌟
ja clean house music
I'm surprised I've never head of this artist! The songs have exciting instrumentation and the vocal performance is very moving! Especially in songs like "If You Need Me"!
I love soul but I was a little underwhelmed on first listen. I guess I prefer the dance tracks to the slow jams and I didn’t recognise anything on here. I enjoyed it more the second time around and do appreciate that he was an important step in creating the genre. His wiki is worth a read!
Soul canónico.
Boy does Solomon have a voice. Feels like a good album for a cold fall day next to the fire. A little, uh, old timey for me but a pleasant listen.
A new artist and new music for me. I apparently had seen a clip of Burke's performance at his induction to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, but apparently I didn't remember much about that. I liked this album. Some of the tracks had elements that sounded like Burke might have influenced Cee Lo Green. "Cry to Me" and "Hard, Ain't it Hard" were the tracks I rated the highest. Both had a good energy and a good groove. This would be an easy album to put on again, to listen to something different than I normally do. Rounding up to 4 stars.
Interesting, had not heard this before.
Bra album