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Lu's Jukebox, Vol. 2: Southern Soul ¿¿¿ From Memphis to Muscle Shoals
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Barnes and Noble
Lu's Jukebox, Vol. 2: Southern Soul ¿¿¿ From Memphis to Muscle Shoals
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Lu's Jukebox, Vol. 2: Southern Soul ¿¿¿ From Memphis to Muscle Shoals
Current price: $13.99
Loading Inventory...
Size: CD
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The second in a series of albums drawn from livestream concerts
presented to benefit independent music venues hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic,
is the sort of album so well-suited to her gifts that one wonders why she didn't do this sooner. As a performer,
has never shied away from showing off the influence of vintage blues and R&B, and for this LP, she covers nine classic soul tunes from the 1960s and early '70s, with two ringers added for seasoning: a lean and swampy take on
's "Ode to Billy Joe" and a slow, sensuous reimagining of her own "Still I Long for Your Kiss." This material was cut live in the studio with
' road band, and they approach this music as true fans who happen to have some ideas of their own. Their love and appreciation for the original recordings is clear, but they bend the songs to suit both
' voice and the group's musical personality. The result is a set of performances that pay homage while staking out their own sonic territory. The rough-edged but expressive guitar work from
and
carries these songs the way keyboards or horns often gave the original recordings their foundation, and bassist
and drummer
provide a richly beating heart for this music, simply but surely moving the band forward.
delivers just like a great soul vocalist while also sounding exactly like herself. She's powerful and passionate without overplaying, she's emotionally eloquent in honest, thoughtful ways, and she often sounds like she's still finding new angles in these songs while she sings, filling her vocals with a sense of adventure and exploration that adds to their power. Recording songs that already exist in definitive performances by the likes of
,
, or
is either a brave or a foolish move for most musicians, but
is smart enough and soulful enough to cut these tunes without embarrassing herself, and
demonstrates she can honor the great artists who introduced these tunes while making them her own. ~ Mark Deming