Various Artists • Written in Their Soul, The Hits: The Stax Songwriter Demos Stax/Craft Recordings CR00629
In Craft’s press materials for the label’s massive seven-CD boxed set released during Record Store Day earlier this year and from which the selected cuts on this disc were taken, Pawelski sums up the project’s raison d'être this way: “Demo recordings are often tossed off without inhibition, just writer and tape recorder sharing an intimate space. I love all these songs as they tumbled out for the first time. They’re filled with the joy and magic of discovering something that wasn’t there moments before. Suddenly, there it is, a song filled with the hope of finding an audience, of saying something, of moving someone.” A perfect example of the magic is Mack Rice’s demo of the Staples Singer’s 1972 hit “Respect Yourself,” which he co-wrote with Luther Ingram. Stripped down to one locomotive-style acoustic-guitar accompaniment coupled with the intensity of Rice’s hard-driving vocal delivery, the song is only faintly familiar on first listen. But closer inspection reveals a hint of that funky syncopation that Pops Staples and producer Al Bell elevated to the one-of-a-kind groove that makes “Respect Yourself” one of the era's best soul singles. This track and the rest of the album highlight how many potentially great songs are just waiting for a producer who can recognize the subtle, beating heart at their creative birth. A less open-minded record label could’ve easily written off Rice’s demo as too raw and basic. One of the main attractions at Stax’s Memphis studios was its unorthodox approach to record production. In stark contrast to the strict union rules and assembly-line schedule common at major labels at the time, Stax founder Jim Stewart encouraged improvisation and gave his employees wide berth. Musicians would regularly switch instruments and take command of the mixing-board controls, and nobody was beneath fetching coffee, beer and cigarettes. With no eye on a deadline, recording sessions at Stax were known to go on into the wee hours of the morning. The resulting sound was sometimes called gritty and greasy. Think of the Stax product as a plate of barbecue ribs, potato salad, and greens, as opposed to the filet mignon and cloth napkins of their Northern competitors in Motown. I’d be hard-pressed to imagine a better view of the Stax modus operandi than this compilation. A prime example of Stewart’s approach for nurturing talent can be seen in Deanie Parker. Her heartfelt demo of “I’ve Got No Time to Lose” on side one of this release eventually became a hit for Carla Thomas in 1964; that’s especially impressive when you consider that Parker was a member of a high-school glee club when she first applied for work at Stax in 1962. Following this demo, Stewart made Parker his director of publicity, a position she later parlayed into the top A&R position for the label, all while juggling her studio duties. Craft has matched the high quality of the performances heard on the original CD set with careful attention to this vinyl sampler. It seems fitting that the highly regarded Jeff Powell at Memphis-based Take Out Vinyl cut the record’s lacquers. The mastering by Michael Graves at Osiris Studio in LA captures the palpable presence of the performers in these live, one-take recordings. The limited-edition Orange Crush-colored review LP was flat, encased in an audiophile-approved antistatic sleeve, and free of significant surface noise. My only quibble is that an insert with additional details about the sessions, musician credits and more photos would have been a nice addition to the package. Written in Their Soul . . . is a great starting
point for anyone interested in the rich world of Southern soul and R&B. It also offers
listeners an intimate glimpse into what can happen when ordinary people with extraordinary
passion create their own art. |
inyl collectors
won’t find any audiophile chestnuts on Written in Their Soul . . . , but
they will discover a treasure trove of musical gems that were on the verge of being
forgotten until the folks at Craft Recordings stepped in. Released for Record Store Day
Black Friday 2023, this 13-song collection of demos, culled by Grammy-winning producer
Cheryl Pawelski from the 1960s and '70s Stax vaults, is an unexpected treat for those
passionate about the golden era of American R&B and soul.