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It Ain't Gonna Be That Way: The Complete Smash Sessions
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It Ain't Gonna Be That Way: The Complete Smash Sessions
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
It Ain't Gonna Be That Way: The Complete Smash Sessions
Current price: $13.99
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's stretch at
arrived in the mid-'60s -- just after he spent a few years at
's
subsidiary and just before he signed with
, where he would finally find the commercial success that had eluded him. Such a description suggests
was merely a transitional phase for
, but
's 2011 set
-- the latest and best retrospective of this material -- proves that this was a clear peak for
, possibly his richest blend of soul, country, blues, pop, and rock & roll.
always mined this vein but there's a stylish swing here that distinguishes the
sides from everything else he recorded. Here is
as a snappy uptown hipster, coolly riding the slinky R&B groove of "Mohair Sam," draping himself in fuzz guitars on "Let the Party Roll On," copping a bit of
's orchestral sweep on "It Ain't Gonna Be That Way," slyly ripping riffs from
on "Just a Little Bit of You," shrugging with bemused self-effacement on "Everything I Do Is Wrong." Only occasionally does
dabble with country and when he does he ratchets up the R&B: "You Can Have Her" bounces like
and "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" flips
's dirge into a gospel thump.
, who recorded both of the preceding songs, learned several tricks from
here but this is truly his own thing: there are no boundaries between styles or sounds -- it's smooth, soulful, and supple, from a master at the top of his game. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine