Given that the discography of
Otis Blackwell
is limited to a scant few items,
These Are My Songs
takes on great singular historical significance in the annals of rock & roll.
Blackwell
is the author or co-author of several well-known hits that launched the careers of many seminal rockers, not the least of whom was
Elvis Presley
.
himself can be easily compared to
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
vocally, while in many ways is near to the sounds of
Chuck Berry
stylistically. This 1976 recording has
re-creating his songs in the manner of
Elvis
, his singing paralleling that distinctive hunka-hunka drawl. There are also tunes from others who
wrote for and influenced, with a backup band of musicians who sound much more contemporary in the electric Memphis blues and R&B of the
Stax
studio sound. While based in the soul music of the '50s, this is rock & roll at its finest, stoked by high powered beats, the animated singing of
, and the steel cased guitar work of
Gordon Inyard
. Though
is depicted on the album cover playing piano, he does not play keyboards on the recording, leaving that to
Chris Townes
. While the band itself is relatively undistinguished, they provide plenty of propulsion and fire to keep
's fires burning.
And make no mistake --
is smokin' hot, on the classic R&B/swing/rock classic
"All Shook Up"
and
"Return to Sender,"
the most famous hits of
that bookend the session, where he phrases exactly like
Presley
"Don't Be Cruel"
strays a bit from the original, but is quite typical in most respects, and faithful to its core values. Then there's the super fast
"Great Balls of Fire"
with
Townes
flying in a tribute to the man who made it a bigger hit,
Jerry Lee Lewis
, and
more animated.
"Handy Man"
was a hit for the falsetto voiced
Jimmy Jones
, but
does it more like
, with off-putting whistling included, and
"Hey Little Girl,"
made famous by
Dee Clark
, has a definite choogling
Bo Diddley
style melted into it. The only non-
composition is
Jerry Lieber
Mike Stoller
's
"Searchin',"
initially from the repertoire of
the Coasters
, less like
and hearkening back to his pure soul roots. A snake-like guitar riff and thick drum beats during
"Fever"
-- also not written by
-- lends to its sultry feel juxtaposed against his screaming upper volume singing, while a looser approach identifies the more obscure tunes like
"Back Trail"
"Let's Talk About Us"
that someone could easily update. The best track,
"Daddy Rollin' Stone,"
is pure
, a sly and nasty, sexy and dirty blues that oozes with seductiveness, with
Inyard
's repeat riffs building the intrigue and dark shadows a la cavernous vampire or voodoo inferences.
is certainly a neglected figure, and where the royalty money for these songs went is anyone's guess, but they are finally available on CD for all to admire and treasure. ~ Michael G. Nastos