Great American Soulbook

Tower Of Power | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: TOP RECORDS
• ASIN: B001TN1EES
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,163 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > R&B > Funk > Jazz Funk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOWER OF POWER COOKS BEST--THIS DESERVES TWENTY STARS !!!, April 13, 2009

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Great American Soulbook (Audio CD)

What can I say? After forty years of making incredible soul music, Tower Of Power comes out with yet another blockbuster album! They sound great and it's all here: the magical sound of the Fillmore concert in 2008 courtesy of Castillo, "Doc" Kupka, Francis Rocco's infusion of funk, David Garibaldi, Larry Braggs, Roger Smith, Tom E. Politzer on saxophone and more, trumpeter Adolfo Acosta, "Iron Mike" Bogart and 2007 inductee Mark Harper. I agree with the reviewer who writes that there's not a single dud on this album; TOP is one of the very, very few groups that could ever even hope to pull off a set of covers that is all this good!!! The guest appearances by the likes of Joss Stone, Tom Jones and Huey Lewis only make this even better.

"You Met Your Match" starts the CD with an electrified tune that couldn't be better. The band plays this with all their might and just one listen proves it! "You Met Your Match" is a Stevie Wonder tune with Larry Braggs doing some mighty fine singing along with the others. I love that percussion, too! "You Met Your Match" is a strong beginning for this CD. "I Thank You" features Tom Jones; and when Tom gets together with Tower Of Power the result explodes into a fantastic number that you won't forget anytime soon! The beat is awesome and I really like "I Thank You."

"It Takes Two" features the wonderful Joss Stone; this ballad has some great music to go along with Joss Stone and Larry Braggs who sing one out this without missing a note! "It Takes Two" is a major highlight of this album and I know you're going to like it. In addition, "Me & Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul shines bright in the capable hands of Tower Of Power. TOP gives the classic "Me & Mrs. Jones" a most romantic flavor that would make most "celebrities" green with envy; and I really like that "Star Time" lets them do a fine tribute to the immortal James Brown.

"Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" has all the brightness of the world's biggest diamond when Tower Of Power performs it; they sway gently and play that music so well that you just know "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" is yet another big highlight of this album. Joss Stone returns to do some more work with TOP on "[Heaven Must Have Sent] Your Precious Love;" this stuns me with its beauty; and when Tower Of Power does this with Joss Stone the result is absolutely mesmerizing. Huey Lewis joins in for a great effect on "634-5789;" and the album ends strong with Tower Of Power performing "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?" This last number showcases the fine vocals of Larry Braggs--and they don't come too much better than Larry!

Great American Soulbook scores yet another big goal for Tower Of Power. This group is alive, well and kicking! They have a great sound that can take just about any ballad and make it into a masterful soul number. I highly recommend this for their fans; and people who like high quality control soul music with some electricity on the side will not be disappointed.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Power is Missing From This, September 7, 2009

By 

T. Miraglia "Don Tomaso" (Castro Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great American Soulbook (Audio CD)

I am glad to see that there are a lot of loyal ToP fans out there and glad to see that a lot of people are happy with this cd.That's good for ToP. But, I must say that I am much in agreement with "Saxman's" review of this album. I, too have been a fan of ToP for many, many years and saw them live many times back in the Rick Stevens and Lenny Williams era when they were fresh, tight, and cutting edge. This current collection of covers is just that. There are no standouts, no re-inventions, nothing to make the songs "theirs". They just played them the way they've been played before - right down to the sappy string arrangements on "Me and Mrs. Jones".

For a group of ToP's stature I would have thought they would have brought some fresh arrangements to us with some real snap and exceptional musicianship. Instead I find the whole project uninspired and lackluster. The production quality is poor as well. It strikes me as something done quickly and easily to get a product to market. At best it is just "okay".

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unquestionable musicianship, but..., May 25, 2009

By 

Eddie Landsberg "My 10th year as a reviewer !... (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Great American Soulbook (Audio CD)

There's no doubt about it... Tower of Power is the world's greatest SOUL band... they stand on their own for the great American Soul Book which *they* wrote, and they can also be heard as the guest horn section with many other legendary pop groups... that said, I'll be honest: I can't quite fathom an entire album as TOP doing covers of other artists' tunes... I would have much rather sat through a compilation featuring tracks that TOP did with other pop artists over the years as the guest horn section (hey, wouldn't that be a good idea???)

The tracks, however, in themselves are great... and as a "cover band" TOP does the job BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE COULD EVEN THINK OF... but after all these years, there's really only one thing that I, a die hard fan really wants... More Oakland Bump, un-compromised, from the masters who created it.

In conclusion, had the album offered a mix of fresh material and covers, I probably would have dug it way more... Its a cute project, cute idea... demonstrates a band that is as musically vibrant as they were in the FILMORE days - - if you like THE BLUES BROTHERS, the COMMITMENTS and other groups like that, this album will have great appeal... however, all in all, unless your cup of tea is TOP doing COVERS (something very rare at their show) this album is definitely not the one us die hard fans are all still waiting for...