Reviews (page 8 of 13)
Fully recommend this one. A product of its time but very listenable today. A great voice and songs that you'll know. You might not be able to put a name to the voice, but you'll be aware of them for sure.
I can see why this is a classic. It has as ALOT of soul. This would fit right along the best of the age, Aretha and others. Overall great production and execution. 3/5 May listen again. For sure adding to my soul playlist.
This was smooth af! 4.5.
I love the sound of the drums here. Great discovery. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
Day 25: Rock 'N Soul - Solomon Burke. Solomon Burke album 1/1. This album is undeniably soulful. It's also very 1960's. Well, that is to be expected, considering that this album is called "Rock 'N Soul", and it was released in 1964. Alright, to not beat around the bush, I was not too impressed with this album. It's not really distinguishable when compared to other soul powerhouses of the time. I prefer artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Sly Stone. Looking at RYM statistics, it doesn't appear that Rock 'N Soul has been too resonant, since it's only the 151st-top album of 1964 alone. This may be a hot take, but when it comes to soul music, I prefer live albums. This album feels like it misses the energy of a live album. I enjoy hearing the audience screaming with joy like what can be heard in James Brown's Live at the Apollo. Personal Enjoyment: 3/5. How Much It Belongs Here: 3/5.
Not my usual cup of tea but really loved it
Solomon sure has some pipes, but man, with the exception of Cry To Me, these songs are just so mind-numbingly predictable and dull. Solomon gets three stars for his performance; the songwriters get 1 star.
Didn't know Solomon Burke. I like this a lot. Good Friday-night kitchen music.
It's so beautiful.
Pretty strong, not really my genre of choice otherwise it would be higher, though very nice.
Increíble. Cry to me es de mis canciones favoritas, pero encontré aquí un montón a las que voy a estar regresando muchas veces. Genial disco.
This was a cool album, especially to hear something from the early days of soul music. It’s a great blend of gospel-driven soul mixed with R&B and some early rock influences. You can also hear those bluesy elements woven into the rock side of things, which adds even more depth to the overall sound.
Ganz nett, schöne Stimme, ... aber irgendwie ziemlich schmalzig mit den Hintergrundchor und der Streicherbegleitung
There's nothing outright bad about this but it all runs together and there's not really much here that makes me want to come back to it.
Outstanding. A lot I knew there and some great others with real influence from Jazz and influence on future music.
The overall theme of the album is incredible, but unfortunately suffers from the songs all repeating the same pattern and they kind of start blending together at the halfway point. But honestly really pleasant album to listen to.
Essentially just very nice, easy to listen to.
Really enjoyed this album, bluesy soul with great guitar licks and vocals
One of those names I know I've heard but couldn't have named a song he did. Good stuff.
Jist sounds like another album from the era. Nothing special stoodnout to me.
I designate this as a great cooking album. It's not going to be in my regular rotation but the vibes are crisp. I think it needs another few listens.
Not for me
Cool.
good voice and arrangement. some very old timey same cooke'esque crooning and roul rock playing
от альбома несёт нафталином
This was a great listen, and one I’ve never listened to before. I’m sure I’ve heard some songs of Burke’s, but definitely not an entire album. Really happy I got a chance to listen to one of the pioneers of R&B and soul. This album is a must listen for fans of the genre.
I love soup and I enjoyed listening to this.
marvelous
Soul music at its finest. A couple of the songs were weak but Solomon's voice made them stronger.
Great voice
perfect slice of early 60s soul. had heard of solomon burke and had heard cry to me but didnt know too much about him or his work before this, so am v grateful this came up as todays album
Lot of soul recently and this was another cracker. Incredible voice and backing. Would’ve been a 5 but bit too repetitive
Enjoyable.
Back half felt a little ahead of its time. Good soul singing rock and rolling record. Nice listen. Never heard of this guy or any of the songs.
Very cool, though I liked the stuff Spotify played after more, with a rawer sound. Was a pleasure to listen, after a bad day.
Solomon Burke, Grandfather to Alexandra and extremely proud life long Houmous & Chutney fan. 3.2
Amazing voice
Not quite.
anything not pure rock that is released from the 60s (except for sinatra) automatically gets an 3 from me and soul is boring, so there's a penalty so it's a 2
Pretty solid
3.5★. This stuff is good for the soul.
Pretty good early rock n roll album. My favorite track was Cry to Me.
Pretty good, not my favorite.
Impressive that he was able to make 12 songs that all were about the same thing but sounded slightly different from each other. This guy can’t catch a break, he is in love with girl he sees, be it they are dead, cheating, or just not interested. I actually thought this was older after listening and was slightly surprised that it was from the 60s. Its not the most groundbreaking album or interesting but its enjoyable. 7/10
Hit after hit with excellent songwriting and backing singers
Крута клас не нраица для поездок круто прям
Не моё, но на фон конечно же вайб
I remember growing up in the 70's listening to Elvis, Mowtown and even a bit of Shirley Bassey, so this album wasn't alien to me and has songs I know. However, some songs feel repetitive, and the production, though great for its time, sounds dated. Despite this, the album remains a great early soul music treat.
3/5
2.5
This was a bloody great listen. Would listen again, great soul music. How it's never been on my radar before I'll never know.
Even as I type, I'm listening to this album for a second time, because it is puzzling me. I like soul music, or at least, I thought I did, but this album is showing me something, and I'm not sure if it's A) That I just don't really like the timbre of this guy's voice, B) That there are various forms of soul music, and this particular style is not my cup of tea, or C) That I don't actually like soul music after all. I still can't fathom which of the above applies, so perhaps I will learn more about my soul preferences as I get more albums in that vein during this project. The album is nice and everything, but I just can't get into it. I certainly won't be seeking it out again, but it's my problem to live with. I'll give it three stars anyway.
Solid early rhythm & blues album. He has a great voice.
норм. не фанат жанра, но слушается прикольно.
Awesome. Crazy to think I hadn’t heard of him!
Style points
Soulful Sam Cooke vibes! Unfortunately, all the songs sound alike.
Repetitive but clearly influential
Such a wonderfully classic sound. I enjoyed every minute of this album yet wasn’t familiar with the artist or any of the tracks on this record. Great listen.
Solid early rhythm & blues album. He has a great voice.
старина на бодром делает
That’s some mighty fine soul music there.
Perfectly lovely voice, fine for the background, but not for me. It just feels a bit too rehearsed, a bit too much like something you'd hear on a Fallout radio station.
5/10
Thank God for the 60s. It seems this one decade accelerated music through half a century of evolution. This album sounds like a relic of a bygone era when compared to the psychedelia of the late 60s. Still, not an unpleasant listen by any stretch. Favorites: Cry to Me, You Can't Love 'Em All
Baš sladak album, dosta romantičan djir. Obožavam 60-te, iako sam više u rockabillyju obitavala. Definitivno ima boljih albuma iz tog vremena, ali ovo mi je glazba koja vrijedi raftinga, zbog toga će biti 4/5, 7/10
7/10 Album koji svojim nazivom jednostavno i točno precizira što očekivati od njega. Odličan spoj rock i soula koji mi super sjeda na ovu nedjelju navečer. Da se našla koja živahnija pjesma, zbilja ne bi bilo loše ali i ovako je bilo prijatno svih 35 minuta.
Strong collection of catchy soul tunes. Should revisit from time to time.
Classic 1960s soul, including "Cry to me" (made famous on Dirty Dancing soundtrack) - was generally enjoyable although not much variety in the songs
A nice collection of classic RnB oldie hits. And that’s it really. As an album it lacks a bit of direction.
Like the guys voice. Seems very 60s, it's fine, but everything is pretty similar. I like the guitar tone in You Won't Give Him & Hard, Ain't It. The horns coming in, in a later track gives a much needed change. High 2s for me
I loved the first song and everything upbeat. Surprisingly, the slower songs were my least favorite.
Love me some old time rock & roll. It’s like I’m back working at the old Scoop Shop. Highlights: Can’t Nobody Love You, Cry To Me, and Can’t Love Em All. 3.5 stars.
I can confidently say I've never heard this album....and maybe even never heard of Solomon Burke Not really finding a bad track here...I especially enjoy the ones with the female backing vocals. Surprise Surprise: Jerry Wexler produced this album I like this a lot. The 60's soul/r&b sound is totally in my wheelhouse, but I think I'm going to call this a 4.5 star album. I would definitely spin this again outside of this project, but nothing is telling me "I HAVE to hear it again."
First listen. Quite good.
I generally like music from this era, and I liked this, but conversely, it's not the sort of thing I listen to much these days. I did really like music from the 1950s and 1960s when I was a kid, though. Good inclusion on the 1001 if someone never heard this sort of thing, but that said, it's not revolutionary, it's early rock and roll when that sort of thing was still very blues influenced in the pop realm.
I didn't think I was gonna like this album based on "Soul" being in the title, but this isn't run-of-the-mill Goodfellas background music. There's some very interesting musical interpretations of rock and/or soul here, including some fairly intricate accoustic guitars. And of course, his voice is great.
I liked this! Easy listening, relaxing vibe.
Same song 12 times. Stop it.
Unsurprisingly I enjoyed this album, soul music is a favourite of mine thanks to the late netty. Cry for me is a strong way to start the album, fans of the film dirty dancing may recognise this banger. The rest of the album is littered with tones that I grew up with but a couple of those songs do feel like background music at the time. Solomon is a bit like a poor man’s Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, that’s no knock on him as those are 2 of the greats
Wow! Middle of the road, but slightly left
A bit souly. A bit boring, A bit samey. A bit shit. A bit out of five.
Don't mind the genre. Wasn't a big fan of this though. Nothing wrong with it I don't think. I just don't associate much with it so I drift in and out of giving a shit.
I'm too smashed to review properly. 2 stars
R&B Soul, don’t care for it. Don’t care for it at all. They just find multiple ways to tell us about love and what’s not good about love and how their lover has done them right and or wrong. Someone to Love Me had some cool music happening but R&B just ain’t for me. 2 stars
Good old school soul R&B. I get why it’s on the list. A lot of this music all runs together for me and it’s hard to pick the great from average. 2.75
gas no skips
Pre-listening thoughts: girl idk this man or what this is gonna be. 60s rock and soul is usually a mixed bag - sometimes it’s super generic and formulaic but sometimes it’s really something special. Post/during listening thoughts: Dude this is amazing. I am really enjoying this album. Like Cry To Me really just got me hook, line, and sinker and now I am so IN this thing. While sometimes it is a little formulaic, I don’t think it’s distracting or repetitive at all. Solomon Burke has a fantastic voice. I think this challenge has really exposed me to the fact that I enjoy soul music. And this is a fantastic example. 9/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: maybe? Yeah? Fav tracks: I mean this is a no skip album but Cry To Me, If You Need Me, You’re Good For Me, Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance), Hard Ain’t it Hard, and You Can’t Love Em All were my absolute favs Least fav tracks: none
Started off great hehe "Cry To Me" put me straight into Dirty Dancing and Grease vibes. I'm pretty sure its actually in Dirty Dancing... IT IS!!! A beautiful 60s Soul Album. I really enjoyed it - was very lovely. Soloman Burke has such a graceful voice perfect for Soul music.
Great music! I wouldn't pick it to listen to, or recommend it - but was a really nice surprise. Really enjoyed it. Great voice - nice good old soul music.
What a great voice! Loved listening to this but not enough stand out bangers.
Wonderful signing style! I fancy more of his later work when his sound has got more age. Boring to give only 3 stars
Once again, boring and uninteresting music for me.
This sounds very familiar, even tho I've never listened to Mr. Burke, atleast while knowing what I was hearing. This has very classic sounding rock ballads, which are filled with clichés, probably because this is where they originated from. I don't know and don't care enough to look into it. Sad to say, I found it quite boring of a album.
He’s got the Voice of an angel, only gripe is the songs can blend together
Too many songs sound the same. Also, I only recognized one of the songs and it's never been a favourite of mine. (He'll Have To Go) He does have a good voice but I couldn't get into the album.
smooth
Yeah, this must have been great in the early 60s but it just sounds like something my grandad would have put in the wireless
He's got an amazing voice but as an album of covers it feels quite dated and bitty.
The top-rated review at the moment nails my thoughts exactly here. Wasn't familiar with Mr. Burke prior to this, but his voice and range are excellent. Easy to see why he was considered one of the founding fathers of soul music. But the actual musical content of the album just lacks variety in a lyrical and instrumental sense. Almost the entirety of the album can be thrown into the "crooning love songs" bucket. That's fine I guess, it's more so indicative of this era of soul & R&B. Side note: I just now learned that Solomon Burke originally recorded "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". That song had played immediately after this album ended and I had to do a double take. Much slower in tempo than the famous Blues Brothers cover, but both are good recordings in their own right. I love learning stuff (that's new to me) like this!
This is fine music. It sounds good. Is it considered some of the best of this genre and time period? Probably, since it’s on this list. But my untrained ear cannot tell.
Lovely, a wonderful surprise (I didn't knew this), I greatly enjoyed it, it helped me a lot through the working day ;-)
Fantastic, I can put this on at any time and just listen.
# Playlist Track - Can't Nobody Love You # Notes - This is one of those albums that you really need to frame in historical context to appreciate. Just listening to it, I thought "Oh well. Cool Album, the end.". Turns out this came out in 1964! - Solomon was one the people that carved the sound that would define soul music later. And he sounds great while at it. - Definitely recommend!
A good soul sound, but gets monotonous when every song is about love
Nice voice and comforting music, but wouldn't necessarily listen again.
This was lots of fun in a real pleasant way. Knew some of the tunes and experienced others for the first time. Even better than this was the algorithm that played straight bangers for three hours on Spotify afterward.
It's alright but this type of music just doesn't do too much for me. I enjoyed his voice and some of the songs were fun
Fav: Cry To Me Least Fav: Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance)
I could listen to this quite a bit. Nice easy fun listening.
Pretty good. Very soulful voice. My fave was Cry To Me
Solid and Soulful
Entirely fine, but nothing stuck with me.
Some of the songs are dated sounding, but others hold up surprisingly well for 60 years later. Some interesting lyrics for a professed Christian...
A fun listen. Historical for sure.
I like this a lot!
I enjoyed this early soul record.
7/12 top 100 hits? Wild ratio. This is nice, but clearly a function of the times, like Sinatra's works, 3*
Great
Some good ol' fashioned soul. Gonna have to check out more of Solomon Burke
First several songs sound like Early Elvis or blues with Jamaican influence. Fun listening to, very pleasant. Nothing original.
Classic
Love the quality of his voice. A very easy listen as well.
Jõulud
Basically a Greatest Hits albums, which I thought weren't allowed on this list. Why is this one ok but something like the Eagles Greatest Hits isn't... In any case...let's continue... It's an older style of music that really doesn't fit with any playlist that I would ever play. It is good, and to listen to an album like this every once in a while is cool. Best Tracks (5/5): Cry to Me Others (4/5): Can't Nobody Love You, You Can't Love Them All, He'll Have to Go, Goodbye Baby Rating: 3.5
Ég er mjög mikið fyrir svona tónlist. Alveg ofboðslega mikið þannig að þetta var alveg beint upp í mitt húsasund. Þetta er plata sem ég mun setja aftur á fóninn, til dæmis þegar ég er að undirbúa mat eða bara hangandi heima og vantar bakgrunnstónlist. Mjög góð stemmning.
I hadn't heard of Solomon Burke before. I liked this - he has a good voice. The arrangements and songs here don't seem as strong as some of his contemporaries though.
Need another listen.
Kind of cute
What a great and versatile singer! I didn’t know any of the tunes other than Cry to Me but this whole album is good. There’s some nice guitar playing too.
Never heard this before but just immaculate vibes. Great singing and playing
So incredible
I didn't know who Solomon Burke was until this album was generated, but now I'm glad it did! I'm big on rock and big on soul, so what more could I ask for?
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would…
Hadn't heard this before but really enjoyed it. Until I did a little research, I didn't realize how popular he was in the 60s. He continued performing until his death in 2002, so I'm surprised I hadn't come across him sooner. This is some of the best traditional soul, R&B, and blues I've heard. Glad he made the list. Fun fact: at the time of his death at age 70 , he had 90 grandchildren. Woah.
Fun album, just feels good to listen to. Has a lot of stiff competition, but it is definitely going into the rotation.
Old classic soul music. It’s a simple album but one that is fun and fun to listen to throughout.
3.5
Solomon Burke has such a majestic voice and the better songs on here are soulful and great to dance to
Nope - sorry 😔
I was pleased to be introduced to this album and can imagine dipping in every now and then, just a bit much for me as a whole album.
I liked the rock and I liked the soul
Being exposed to albums like this is complete validation of a project like this. Great stuff.
Really good. I remember seeing him in hootenanny Jools Holland one year.
Didn’t hold my attention I’m afraid
When not in a rush I liked it very much Played a few times Much the same rhymes Solomon not to blame it all sounds the same
Think they forgot about the rock part of the title. Seemed to be entirely soul to me. Having said that it wasn't too bad. But just not thing. So 2 it is.
It was ok for that sort of thing. Better than Elvis and Shakin Stevens combined, so that’s worth 2 stars.
I really enjoyed this. Loved 'Crying', its a famous song, apart from the education given to me from good old Jimmy's Old Record Club, early 60's music is an undiscovered country to me. I liked his vocals, and the guitar was excellent, I love a bit of tremelo!
Forgettable and generic soul that has not aged as well as his contemporaries.
Not my scene man, but if you like that music then this will be up your street!
Very solid. Nothing crazy but I liked it.
Ik vind deze iets te oud en te schel om heel veel plezier aan te beleven. Dat hele harde uithalen van oom Solomon in combinatie met z'n snerpende achtergrondkoortje vind ik niet heel prettig. Ik ga voor 2 sterren.
Overall: 6/10 Mr. Burke has a pretty great voice, but most of the songs didn't impress me on their own. Pretty good time capsule of the early days of soul but not something I see myself coming back to. Fav Song: If You Need Me Least Fav Song:
Очень приятный, нежный, однообразный, фоновый, неторопливый альбом. Понравилось, переслушаю
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the oldies. I went through a phase as a kid of listening to a fair bit of 50’s and 60’s rock and roll, and a lot of my teen years playing the Fallout games, so despite being born in the 90’s it is a time period I’ve always been somewhat aware of. However, despite Solomon Burke’s name feeling vaguely familiar, I don’t think I’d heard his music before. I did enjoy this album, but probably not as much as I expected to. Perhaps I’ve saturated myself with this era of music, and let’s be honest - there are definitely a lot of similarities between different artists of this era. This was ok, but not something I’ll be rushing back to.
Not my bag
I’m sure this guy was very influential to a lot of people. But just like a lot of people who are influential, when you listen to them after hearing all the people they influenced it sounds dated. That’s how I feel about this album.
Great voice, but just not into this genre,
3+
This album is a *vibe*. There's a couple of songs that are out of place or just a miss, but otherwise I'm bobbing and swaying to every song on the album. There's a few that stand out from the rest, but it's not a "hits and shits" situation at all. The occasional low notes that Solomon sings just hit me in the depths of my soul. The background singers are sometimes a miss for me, especially when they have a more choral sound. Honestly, it's a really complete album. I wish there was a little more form to the whole thing; it just feels like a smashing together of songs, rather than an album. That said, it's a great, great listen from beginning to end. Favorite Song(s): Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye), If You Need Me
Burke has a great voice and the songs are good, but it all kinda sounds similar song to song and I can't really see that it offers anything that other contemporaries didn't offer.
Not game-changing or anything, but I could listen to this indefinitely pretty much
Decent record, more rhythm'n'blues than rock' soul I reckon
some classic tunes
Not my cup of tea.
This was an incredible album. No notes.
I like rock and soul, and Solomon Burke delivers both as good as anyone. Maybe not the household name as many of his contemporaries, his amazing voice and enough good songs on his record keep things interesting. Loses a bit of steam towards the end, but still a fine listen.
5/10 inoffensive and musicy as all get out. 11-12-2024
Such an enjoyable proto-soul album comprised of a bunch of singles that were never meant to be an album but work seamlessly nonetheless. A soul singer that probably does not receive the amount of attention in the wider circles of music outside the Soul genre that he very much deserves. He deserves to be in the conversation of greatest soul singers with the likes of James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke.
Ich liebe Soul
What a treasure. Felt like I was transported back in time. I read he was the most unfairly overlooked singer of soul music...compared to James Brown, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett. So far this is the most memorable album we've had of the great soul singers from the 60s. Glad to see he's in the rock hall where he belongs
Ashamed I didn’t know this man by name. Soulful and sexy R&B with impeccable backup singers. A couple of the songs are cheesy or this would have been a 5. Really enjoyed the majority of the album.
Too much love, and love, and love.
gostei demais
Can’t say I loved it. Felt lacking in bass lol
Glemte å følga med, men va vel greit
2.7
Cry to Me was worth a 5. The rest was a bit blah.
Okay album. Nothing of real note 4/10
Wow, great voice and a love a choir orchestration. Just wow. Downloaded album ASAP. Turned out I already had a LOT of Solomon Burke. Who knew!
This album contains both rock and soul equally and that's just nifty
Very pleasant and enjoying. Not anything moving or deep which tends to move me towards a 4/5 as I believe the emotions music elicits out of a person is the highest attainment for a musician. This was good and sometimes that’s all you can ask for. I’d say 3.5
3 STARS!
I finally find out who sings "Cry to Me". Not all bad. Sort of a lighter version of Al Green.
I liked the rock a bit more than the soul. Overall pretty decent album with a few catchy songs. Favorite songs were: 7. You’re Good For Me 9. Hard, Ain’t it Hard 7/10
I won't listen to this again but Angelina is having a hard day and we listened to some of the songs and danced around the house which was nice so that's giving it an extra star.
This album was dope. I liked every track! There were a lot of fantastic vocal performances. It had a great runtime and I didn't get bored. 8/10
Idk just made me feel weird can’t do the way they talk about women
In the right mood will go alright
I don't know it sounds like early 60s light rock music oh wait it is, go figure.
Was a bit underwhelming, nothing bad but nothing really of note
Nothing really notable for this one, got busy over the weekend so listening to it just for the sake of listening to it last minute didn’t set me up to enjoy it
Pretty good
Good listen, great voice Standout songs: Can't Nobody love you Cry to me
WOO this is good. Solomon's vocal chords must've been fried during the recording of this. Powerful voice and lyrics backed with some great simple instrumentals. its soul to your bones baby. it gets a little same-y here and there, but its still very enjoyable.
A solid soul album. Doesn’t do anything to break the mold but if you like soul music you’ll like this one!
Wonderful and beautiful music
Feels like a got a little soul back
read the wiki page
Great, old-fashioned music, exactly as described on the tin.
This was awesome. I love oldies and this really delivers the soul and great musicianship that I love to hear. Burke has a great voice and great instincts for where to take a melody, and the arrangements were delightful and fun to listen to. I loved it and hummed along to the whole thing. Five stars.
BURKE!!!! 4
The voice is so emotional and moving, the songs have that sweet soul sound... It's a shame this guy didn't get more attention because he deserved it.
This was a good album. It made me feel like I was back in my grandparents' house. I would need to be in a very specific mood to listen to this album but I did really like it. Liked Songs: Cry to Me, Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms), Can't Nobody Love You, and Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)
Pretty good! 3
Pretty standard 60s soul album in my opinion 2.5
3.6 very solid. No weak songs but maybe a tad repetitive. Hellava voice
iconic
Great vocalist. Tight band. Mellow 50’s style dinner show type stuff. Not my genre but well done.
Typical album of the genre.
Great oldies. Still holds up.
I've heard of Solomon Burke before as one of the founding fathers of soul music. I've already heard "Cry to Me" from this album, which is such a powerful song about feeling down and lonesome. As much as I generally enjoyed the rest of Rock N' Soul, it's clear that "Cry to Me" was a hard track to follow up from. Throughout this album, the general style tends to be swinging soul music with lyrical themes of love and relationships. While there isn't a bad song on here, and Solomon did his best to sell each track with his belting tenor vocals, most of this album tends to feel repetitive with the instrumental structures and lyrics. There are some other personal highlights besides "Cry to Me", such as the up-tempo cover of Woody Guthrie's "Hard, Ain't it Hard", the slowed-down crooner of "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)", and the playful guitar line of "Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)", though those standouts moments for me were few and far between. I'm still glad I listened to Rock N' Soul and enjoyed Solomon's work. This album made the list for historical significance, and as such I can live with that and cherry-pick the songs I want to revisit.
I can see why this made the list, and Burke has an incredible voice, but overall I found the album pretty flat and engaging.
Thoughts before listening: I'm expecting some old school, early soul music. I'm sure this will be great. Review: Solomon Burke may not have become a household name like many of his contemporaries i.e. Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, etc, but that doesn't mean he wasn't putting out quality material of his own. This album is full of bluesy, soul music sung with a voice that can be sweet in one moment and then immediately turn into a growl. The fact that this album isn't full of well known classic songs actually enhances the experience from a discovery standpoint. Sometimes the older albums on this list are a little boring to listen to because I already know the hits. This is all new to me and has been a great listen. 4-stars
I enjoyed the album. I dont have much to say about it though.
This man had 21 children. Anyway, good voice but it’s all a bit generic somehow. Still getting a 4 though. Classy stuff
Felt like time travelling. This is what I imagine 50s/60s radio sounded like.
A lovely little collection of original style rock n' roll.
Good album. Enjoyed it!
Don't mind it - probably wouldn't seek it out
Not the worst album to come back to from a half year hiatus. Rock and Soul are great descriptions of this record. I love this era of how records sound. I don't know if I have the right words to really articulate what I mean by this. They just have this authentic feel that I often don't find in modern music. Great listen.
Nice listen. I like getting these older records where you can just imagine the impact it's had. And the songs all sound great. Blur together without any standouts, but I enjoyed it all the same. 4
Stark avslutning
I've got a compilation CD of his greatest hits, and there's a few from this album on there. There's a rawness about his voice that makes an average song into a good one, and a good song into a great one. I really enjoyed this album. It probably sounds really dated and old to the younger crowd, but to me there's very much "a less is more" element to good music.
good jazz
Hey Solomon! Get your ass down to the studio and holler into this tin can we've wired to this wax cylinder.
The vocal production, as with many albums from the early 60s, is poor. It's impossible to ignore once you've noticed it. The quality is pretty low, and the audio peaks every single time Solomon Burke pulls out his soulful wail. And, in a rare turn of events, the backing singers are even worse than the main vocalist (for the same reason: production). It probably doesn't help that one of the higher-range backing vocalists is frequently out of tune. The overall production in this album is questionable, and it detracts noticeably from the listening experience. The lyrics are love-cliched to the point of obscurity. The album does drag a bit in terms of musical themes and styles, not really deviating from a crooning sort of soul for its 35-minute runtime. This lack of diversity was the norm for late 50s and early 60s albums in the UK and US. As another reviewer wrote, early 60s music is "like taking a trip to a forgotten era, one that’s kind of familiar, but also completely foreign. Having been released in 1964, this record is closer to the familiar than to completely foreign, but, it feels…old. Like if you could listen to music in black and white." In fact, the production makes this feel even older - like something from the 40s. It's not impressive for its time. Now for the positives. The songs, in isolation, are well-written. I imagine a lot of artists covered this guy, and the general boomer populace most likely knows a few of these tunes (possibly without knowing the guy's name). The opening track, Cry to Me, is easily the main highlight, having a fun little bass guitar-lead guitar back-and-forth as a hook. 2/5 Key tracks: Cry to Me, If You Need Me, Someone to Love Me
This was good but it did get a little boring and there weren’t any stand out songs.
Pleasant surprise
Amazing voice, a really good album
This is a near-perfect album of early 60s soul. I don't know why I've never heard of Solomon Burke before. It's kinda criminal. That guy's voice was amazing. 5 stars.
Definitely inspiration for Fogerty. Great groove 3/5
Can’t believe I’ve never heard of this guy! What a soulful voice, very enjoyable indeed.
love to see that I know an old song or two. the album was a little to old for me. not into the feel of some of the music but the one that I did know brought back memories.
Songs you have heard countless times and you never know the artist, that would be Solomon Burke. Stand out tracks: - Cry to me - Can't no body love you
This is a good album. First time listener as well. One musical wave of enjoyment .
Great voice.
The King of Rock n Soul. Deserves a listen every now and then.
I tried. I think this is generally decent I just didn’t really get into it. Seemed very old times.
Preacher soul jams.
Loved this, will revisit….
Excellent soul album. The sound and feeling from the songs are pure soul. Some times in life you just want to listen to some songs like these and do nothing for an hour or five. And right now I just wanna lay back in my sofa, close my eyes and listen to Solomon Burke all day.
Enjoyed this one, but wouldn't seek it out again.
Just a fun album.
Really enjoyed a few of the first songs but it started to drag a bit by the end.
I don't know how to feel about it. It sounds solid with some standout tracks but the whole album just feels weaker than the Motown that would follow. For 1964 it feels more like a stepping stone to where soul and R&B would go, but not a glimpse into the future. I guess I just don't like Soul that much.
This is sang extremely well and performed excellently but I still can’t really bring myself to get in to this genre. Everything sounds the same to me.
Makes me want to put a dime in the juke box and dance with my baybee in the malt shop.
Yawn. This is really predictable 1960s soul even though to me it's lacking the latter. I read he is a preacher, I'm not surprised. Give me James Brown or Otis Redding any time, but this album is historical interest only (I think). A 2* because he sings OK and I suppose it's not bad 'in its genre'.
This is really good
Pretty good. Short 30 minute album.
Was ok
Really enjoyable album, with shades of Sam Cook.
Really good! Smooth vocals, lots of emotion, supreme easy listening. Several songs made it into my playlists. If You Need Me was my favourite song. You Can't Love 'Em All made me laugh (I can't love them all, I'm just one guy! Oh how tragic)
Beautiful voice from one of the founding fathers of Soul. Cry to Me the highlight 7.5/10
This man, who didn't want to be portrayed as a rhythm and blues man due to its' association with profanity, has stolen my heart. An easy listener with all of the charm of a simpler time, without the profanity
Not my favourite genre but I appreciate it considering the context of the time in question.
Never really heard on Solomon Burke before this but really enjoyed it. I could see entering this one into my rotation
Incredible voice and incredible presence. I probably won't listen to this album again just because it feels a little old fashioned and dated now, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a great album.
💕Cry to Me
Nice voice. Some good tunes. Nothing to write home about though.
Sort of like decent Elvis crash landed on Brooke Benton island. Someone To Love Me is pretty great. Opening track (at least on Spotify) is fantastic for the genre. Solomon has a lovely and expressive voice. If you're a fan of modern things like St. Paul and The Broken Bones this will pick your locks without effort. It's a decently composed album as far as track ordering. If anything it suffers from being its own sea of same. Like an Ink Spots record, if you've heard the first three tracks, the rest will simply be more of the same. It gets a 6/10 from me. better than average for sure but not really my game overall.
Eh first song was cool … wouldn’t mind listening to at a jazz bar or something
Solid album, good music, good voice. Best song: You're Good For Me
Great album with a great blues feel. So great. 6.5/10
3.5/5
Enjoyable listen, mostly not my thing but some good stuff in there.
great voice and some great bit of songs
I surprisingly didn't have much to say about this! It was fine, didn't blow my mind.
One of the best things about this era of music is that the songs don't stay around longer than they should. Each album gives you just enough to enjoy it and leave you wanting another listen. This is great music for a sunny day in early fall because it's just chill and happy
7/10. Enjoyed it. Great voice.
Rock'n soul, og jeg blev ikke skuffet over hvad jeg fik!
Snore ‘n Soul 🥱😴
This was a good album. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
First off, I must say Solomon's voice carries so damn hard. That shit is immaculate. It's rare that I find a bad soul album from this particular decade and this is without exception. Great album! Top 3 Fav: Cry to Me, Won't You Give Him (One More Chance), and Hard, Ain't it Hard Top 3 Worst: no bad songs 3.50-3.75/5
Meh was ok
It’s undeniable that Burke has a great voice and all, but this just didn’t grab me in the way I hoped it would, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. It’s still a good and enjoyable record, I just wanted to like it more overall. Having said that, ‘Cry To Me’ and ‘Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance)’ are great, and the standout tracks on the album for me.
I know this is foundational but it was only good background music for me.
Now this is the 60s music I like
3.5 Pretty great
Sounds like what my grandmother would listen to? Amazing give me 14 more of them.
From the first song this album hooked me. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. Before today I never heard of Solomon Burke. Id listen to quite a few songs off this album by themselves.
Классные песни. Я люблю музыку в духе времён Эллы Фицджеральд и Луи Армстронга. Представитель раннего соула, очень близкого к блюзу и эстрадному джазу.
Great voice and some memorable songs. Cry To Me is a standout for sure.
This was such a great album. It was just a perfect picture back in time. It was rock, and soul, and oldies. I loved this.
A great soulful voice, a few songs that make you want to move about, but not the sort of thing I'd play on repeat
I don't think I'd ever heard any of this before. Just have heard various covers of it before. It's hard to tell though because it sounds a lot like any of the 50s/60s soul/R&B. I guess maybe it was a little behind the time? It's good for what it is, just not exactly to my taste. He's got a great voice, though, that's for sure. I can definitely see how this was a major influence on a lot of music to come, so I am happy to have heard it and would agree that it belongs on this list. It's just not one that I would really play again. 2.5/5 rounding up because it seems like the right thing to do.
Quite good
Sounds good.
This was a cool album, especially to hear something from the early days of soul music. It’s a great blend of gospel-driven soul mixed with R&B and some early rock influences. You can also hear those bluesy elements woven into the rock side of things, which adds even more depth to the overall sound.
Yeah! That's my kind of music! I really liked his voice. I'll leave 4 stars.
This sounds like music from the 40s rather than from the 60s. Sweet voice. Feels like leftovers of stuff my mom would have listened to but never heard her mention him. I'll give 3 stars.
From a high level this is a a great compact soul record. On a deeper level this is a great showing of vocal range, a mix of soul/rock instrumentals, and much more.
A lotta love lyrics, some a lil questionable. But Cry To Me is amazing.
This was really good. Nothing that stands out as a special album so not a 4, but really nice and pleasant music
cry to me- oh i’m doing cabbage patch i’m bout to twist and shout just out of reach-backing vocals are awesome goodbye baby- cute i like it !! if you need me/can’t nobody love you- these two sound similar (probably not actually) but i like them both! someone to love me- i loooooove the vocal on this song and i love the swingy jazziness you’re good for me- backing vocals! those women are killin it won’t you give him- just one more chance! hard, ain’t it hard- i think my favorite so far you can’t love em all- trumpets !! backing vocals !!! beautiful brown eyes- i don’t have brown eyes therefore i cannot relate (im jk this song is cute) he’ll have to go- i like it overall: 8/10 i love the swingy vibes of this album and the backing vocals and production is great. i also love that all the songs are pretty short and i think it’s funny that they all fade out. it gives a kinda this would just keep going if we didn’t fade it out (i wish he would stop saying little girl but i know this is 1963)
2/5
Album 529 of 1001 Solomon Burke - Rock 'N Soul (1964) Rating : 3.5 / 5 A great album to listen to. One of those albums where you should enjoy it even if it isn't your favorite genre. Solomon singing about a lot of wanting, loss and heartache. I enjoyed it.
That was enjoyable! I will have to check out some of his other albums.