The Soul of John Black - Black John

Contrary to popular belief, we at the Ripple love a good soul album. Just dig through my and Pope's CD and vinyl collections and you'll find your share of Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, The Family Stand, Parliament, Bill Withers and Prince. Marvin, Sly and Stevie, it's all good.

So why then, you might ask, haven't we been reviewing much soul on the Ripple? Well, that answer is simple. Regrettably, it seems that no other genre (with the exception of hip hop) has bowed down more to the corporate manifesto of watering down music for radio and video play than soul has. Forget musicians, a typical soul record has devolved to being a sterile, producer driven affair, nearly devoid of any real instrumentation, true sounds brushed aside in favor of a few slickly repeated synthesized beats and samples. Soul music had lost all the vitality and life that once made it so engaging. Soul, it seems, had lost it's . . . soul.

But don't worry, oh waveriders. A soul savior has been found and he's just released the soul album of the year. So sit on down, and pull up a seat at the table, cause we got one heapin' helping of down-home soul, loaded with spoonfuls of country funk, nibblets of acoustic rock and garnished with a big dollop of the blues. This is one walloping feast of old school sounds that transcends it's influences, in the end leaving your belly full and your soul satisfied.

The Soul of Black John is the work of one immensely talented John Bingham (JB), a long time veteran of the music scene. This guy's resume is his calling card in soul credibility, having worked with and written songs for Miles Davis, played guitar and keyboards with Fishbone for eight years, and toured and recorded with the likes of Eminem, Joi, Bruce Hornsby and Ripple favorite, Everlast. And let me tell you that experience shows on this magnificent outing.

"Black John," starts us on a sparse and nefarious note as a loose acoustic guitar and handclaps lay down the beginning tones. Then, when the bass rolls in, it rumbles like a thunderclap drifting in off the Delta. This is serious down-home soul, the kind of storytelling that used to take place on a Mississippi back porch, the kids all huddled around grandpa and his acoustic. John Bingham's voice is as smooth as honey poured over a country biscuit. And let me tell you, the tale he tells is no pop tart, drama queen "I-want-your-body," type of drivel. This is a a fierce tall-tale, in the spirit of old campfire songs like "The Shooting of Dan McGrew," about a mean-as-could-be mofo and the trouble that follows him around. "Black John was a fighting man," JB sings over that loose acoustic with female backing vocals belting it out as if it were gospel. Guitar scatting and scratching as the song picks up momentum, serious blues licks searing through the background, those heavenly female vocals building to a crescendo. . . Damn, this is the stuff legends are made of.

"Betty Jean," trumps out next, loose and slick, JB's voice taking over here, pouring out with the texture of smoked molasses, smooth and syrupy. Singing over an old school soul beat, joined by those women from the celestial clouds, "Betty Jean," percolates out, strutting it's stuff, proud and confident, staunchly taking it's place along side the love songs of the past by Curtis and Issac.

Then, when JB finally unleashes his guitar prowess, he pours out a bluesy intro worthy of Robert Cray himself. "Ever Changing Emotions," follows this intro into a gospel vibe. JB's voice raining down like manna from above. Grooving into a beautiful Bill Withers's vibe, JB digs deeper into his vocal range. This is an old school party song, sexy and sultry, dancing across the blues flavors at their most erotic, JB's guitar comes in like foreplay. Bodies sway on the dancefloor, sweat mingling, lips being moistened by eager tongues, building in anticipation while that guitar keeps playing on. Simply beautiful stuff. If this is the sound of new soul, count me in. But I gotta go change my shorts first.

"Last Forever," eases out on the back of a loose-strung acoustic, dropping in a back-porch version of country funk. Again Bill Withers comes to mind in it's loose funk, but not in a derivative way, just in a, "holy crap, what a great song," kinda way. Another loose burner, the song is full of texture and space. Silence filling the voids, the spaces where a lesser producer or less confident artist would cram in any number of scratches, synthesized beats or other unnecessary crap. It takes a real artist to know the power of letting a song breathe for itself, let the momentum develop naturally, a balance of songwriting craft, tension, and talent. All of that is here, and more. I expect that any lover of old school country soul will love this tune.

I could go about every track here, all the way to the lovely acoustic love song "Thinking About You," that ends the disc, but time prohibits. But before I go I gotta give a shout to "Bottom Chick," a downright dirty and nasty, scratch guitar piece of roadside bar, country funk that just has to be heard. A downright infectious chorus with a big ragtime hook, all played over a Caribbean syncopation. God damn, if I could write soul, I'd wish I could write a song like that. Down right dirty!

With this, his 3rd release, The Soul of John Black, has simply set the bar for future soul acts to try and surpass. Mean and lean, down and dirty, bluesy and gritty, this disc has it all. Gospel-tinged or blues-drenched, this is the kick in the ass that soul music has needed for some time. Expertly played, filled with nuance and texture, guided by the most soulful voice to grace my ears in eons. God bless, ya JB, my soul music has finally found its savior.

--Racer

Check out Betty Jean free download:

http://www.deltagrooveproductions.com/music/releases/blackjohn/bettyjean/

http://www.deltagrooveproductions.com/music/releases/blackjohn/bettyjean/mp3player/02BettyJean.mp3

www.myspace.com/thesoulofjohnblack



I Got Work (not on this album)