Otis Redding
Otis Blue

THE REVIEW

Can a voice say more than just words alone? Yes, and evidently this album is proof of that.

Far from the showmanship of James Brown, close to the intimate vocal style of some Ray Charles songs, but with an even more soulful voice, Otis Redding made soul a universal language. A voice that sings of love and loneliness, fears and fleeting joys: the poetry is all in the voice, in modulating it according to the spirit of each song, and Otis Redding's voice shines when a sort of counterpoint is played by a solitary trumpet, now piercing, now dancing, in an irresistible game of exchanges and returns.

There are eleven songs: his own are Ole Man Trouble, Respect (made immortal by Aretha Franklin), and I've Been Loving You Too Long. The others are interpretations of other artists' hits, with a tribute to his master Sam Cooke. The first masterpiece is the interpretation of Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come: after an intro by the usual trumpet, the voice bursts with sweetness on the first verse, and then drags almost indolently and resignedly to the end, accompanied by bass, elemental drums, and the brass's jolts. The second is I've Been Loving You Too Long: here Otis Redding's voice reaches the apex of its poetry, following more or less the same scheme as A Change is Gonna Come, with the trumpet as a faithful companion. The lyrics are simple, ended loves, youth regrets; it is the voice that amplifies their power and density to the maximum.

Shake (another tribute to Cooke) is a pleasant, rhythmic, and frenetic interlude that precedes the third masterpiece: My Girl. It is the most relaxed track, a breath of fresh air, which gently brings us closer to the liveliest part of the LP: Wonderful World, Rock Me Baby, and Satisfaction. The former is Cooke's famous and fun ode to love, in spite of everything else, interpreted by Otis Redding with priceless irony. Rock Me Baby is by B.B. King (and it shows) while the surprise is the version of the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction: as wild as the original, brass in great form and voice hysterical just enough. The album closes beautifully with a true soul piece: You Don't Miss Your Water by William Bell. The way of interpreting it is well-known, but one never tires of listening to it.

Otis Redding died on the same day (December 10, 67) his master Sam Cooke was killed three years earlier. A plane crash. He was only 26 years old.