Steve Cropper's guitar, production and songwriting embodied the sound and the spirit of Stax and the southern soul of the `60s. At the same time, in the Northeast, there was a band called The Rascals, whose sound was epito... more »mized by the brilliant songs, B-3 organ and voice of Felix Cavaliere. Now these two R&B legends come together to Nudge It Up a Notch, a tour de force of 12 smokin' original tunes, guaranteed to satisfy your soul.« less
Steve Cropper's guitar, production and songwriting embodied the sound and the spirit of Stax and the southern soul of the `60s. At the same time, in the Northeast, there was a band called The Rascals, whose sound was epitomized by the brilliant songs, B-3 organ and voice of Felix Cavaliere. Now these two R&B legends come together to Nudge It Up a Notch, a tour de force of 12 smokin' original tunes, guaranteed to satisfy your soul.
Blue-eyed and Memphis soul summit pays big dividends
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 07/31/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"On paper it's a dream match made in soulsville: the iconic guitarist of Booker T and the MG's writing and recording with the legendary blue-eyed soul vocalist of The Young Rascals. On disc, forty years after their respective chart conquests, their chops are in superb shape, their songwriting talents intertwine smoothly and they sound remarkably fresh and energized. Cavaliere's vocals retain the summery emotion of his Young Rascals days, combining soulful phrasing with a horn-like edginess to his high notes, and Cropper's guitar - both as a lead and rhythm instrument - retains every bit of its defining Memphis identity. In addition to his voice, Cavaliere's organ gives a few tracks the old Rascals feeling, and the rhythm section of Shake Anderson and Chester Thompson is solid and surprisingly lyrical throughout.
The album's biggest payoff is the mid-tempo "If It Wasn't for Loving You," combining Cropper's instantly identifiable rhythm guitar licks (and a sweet solo) with a heartfelt vocal by Cavaliere, a hook-filled melody, and a clever a cappella coda. This would have been a huge AM hit in 1967, but might slip through the cracks of today's balkanized formats. Also winning are the contemporary soul-blues "To Make It Right" and "One of Those Days." The former finds Cavaliere failing to satisfy his mate's material and emotional desires, with Cropper's guitar neatly echoing the lyrical anxiety. The latter demonstrates the anguished aftermath of love gone wrong, with a bottom-heavy rhythm, call-and-response vocals and a guitar solo that's perfectly woven into the chugging beat.
"Sometimes, there is a new album that comes out that gives me the--somewhat naive--hope that simply "good music" will save the music business. And I am repeatedly pleased and amazed when the new good music comes from artists of my generation, defying expectations--I guess because of their age and the fact that they make rock music, not shlock music.
One of these is Nudge It Up a Notch, just released on July 29, 2008, by Steve Cropper, the 67-year old guitarist/composer/producer behind most of Otis Redding's records, Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave, The Blues Brothers, and others, and Felix Cavaliere, the 64-year old vocalist/organist, formerly of the hit 60's group, The Rascals. I've listened to it all the way through three times already. If you like upbeat albums, good songs, a steady beat, great vocals and lyrics, and the interplay of a lead vocalist with background singers, you'll enjoy this one. It has heart and soul, a musical approach we need today in a world gone wrong."
Wonderful Musicianship, HORRIBLE recording
Peter Lufrano | Berkeley, CA USA | 08/16/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Well, I am truly torn on this album. Such wonderful Musicianship, instrumental players, vocal prowess. So unfortunately rare these days.
Makes me WANT to love this album more than any other recent release.
Unfortunately the recording quality is so poor it is difficult for me to enjoy the listening experience. Whoever was at the controls of the board during the sessions and mastering needs an immediate hearing test, or at the least a eye exam, because most of the tracks are so horribly saturated. especially bad is the 3rd track "Without You" where the vocals are grainy, the bass is saturated, the sound of the drums makes one cringe. The background vocals are all recorded too hot, and the organ and Fender Rhodes, oh my. Then to make it much worse, the tracks are then so obviously compresssed so the distortion is made much more obvious.
I checked the mp3's on iTunes and they also suffer from the same ugliness (yeah, mp3's are supposed to sound ugly!) just to check if I received a bad pressing. No such luck.
Perhaps this was done as a production choice in an effort to make the track levels as high as possible for the iPod generation, but the results very nearly ruin the otherwise fantastic album.
What a disappointment!"
Aged in R & B
Jeffrey L. Giltenboth | Asheville, NC, USA | 09/21/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I usually go into a purchase of old-timers expecting a lot. Sometimes I don't; take the Stones for example. I no longer expect anything from them that could come near the output in their first 20 years.
But here I haven't really heard much from Felix Cavaliere since the Rascals heyday. Admittedly I was partial to Eddie Brigati's vocals but still I was a Rascals fan. As to Steve Cropper, I've always been a fan of his. What better then than a coupling of a couple of old audio friends.
I've listened to this a number of times, as I'm doing now. What I can not shake is the feeling that I'm listening to an inferior version of Was (Not Was). All of the songs are listenable but there is nothing that I want to put on my own CD mixes. That is how I listen most to music these days. I'm afraid that this disc is soon moving to the storage room, rarely to be played again.
Even with their latest ("Boo"), Was (Not Was) has a couple of mix worthy songs. Instrumentally "Nudge" is first rate but the vocals pale in comparison to Sweet Pea Atkinson or Sir Harry Bowens.
I wouldn't say don't buy it. But if you do, go in with a not so lofty expectation."