Veteran soul shouter Solomon Burke slips from his safety zone on his new album, "Like a Fire." After three retro-styled albums in six years that showed off his one-of-a-kind voice, Burke ambitiously moves toward a more modern sound on his new collection.
"Like a Fire" also differs from its immediate predecessors in that Burke records almost all new songs, most of them written expressly for this project. But there's the rub: The new tunes fail to bring out Burke's fiery, expressive voice in the manner his other albums this decade have.
The recruited writers sound good on paper. Eric Clapton contributes two songs, including the laid-back title tune. Jesse Harris, a favourite writer of Norah Jones, also offers two cuts - "What Makes Me Think I Was Right" and "You and Me." The country sentiment fits Burke, but Harris' characteristic mellowness never lights a match under the singer.
Similarly, songs by blues-folk singer Keb' Mo' ("We Don't Need It") and jam-folk performer Ben Harper ("A Minute to Rest and A Second to Pray") are either too relaxed or too psychedelic for Burke to bring alive.
Burke deserves props for taking chances; unfortunately, the writers he requested failed to give the King of Rock and Soul something worthy of his royal bearing.
Check out this track: "The Fall," co-written by the album's producer Steve Jordan, allows Burke to show how convincingly he can straddle the best aspects of R&B and country music.
-
"Like a Fire"
Solomon Burke (Shout Factory)
See Also
