Customer Reviews

I Believe to My Soul (Mcup)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am surprised by the lack of coverage I am seeing here on Amazon.com concerning this title. I first heard about it on the Today Show. The band performed a couple of songs and that is when I discovered that part of the purchase price was being donated to the Red Cross to aid the hurricane Katrina victims. I gleaned the following details from the Starbucks site:

"In Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada, Starbucks Hear Music, Rhino and Work Song and will donate $10 of the purchase price of every CD sold to aid in the region's recovery. In all other retail channels in the U.S. and Canada, Starbucks Hear Music and Rhino and Work Song will donate $3 of the purchase price of every CD sold. Donations will be made to the American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross (according to the country in which the CD was purchased) to provide support for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. This donation will continue for the lifetime of the CD and is in addition to Starbucks Coffee Company's long-term relief and recovery efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina."

That alone is reason to consider buying this CD in my opinion. The music is an added bonus.

From the back of the CD cover:

"This is a new soul record done in a classic mode, not a re-creation of classic soul music. It is a record authentic to where these five great artists find themselves today--and in relationship to each other. It is music steeped in tradition, but played with no particular reverence for it. This is the first of a series; and there is more to come."

The CD was produced by Joe Henry...who brought together five of the greatest living artists of soul: Ann Peebles, Billy Preston, Mavis STaples, Irma Thomas, and Allen Toussaint.

The listing of songs and associated artists on Amazon.com needs to be corrected as follows:

1.You must have that true religion--Mavis Staples
2.Both ways--Billy Preston
3.Tonight I'll be staying here with you--Ann Peebles
4.The same love that made me laugh--Irma Thomas
5.Mi Amour--Allen Toussaint
6.Keep on pushing--Mavis Staples
7.As one--Billy Preston
8.Loving arms--Irma Thomas
9.River boat--Allen Toussaint
10.That's enough--Mavis Staples and Billy Preston
11.Turvalon--Allen Toussaint
12.When the candle burns low--Ann Peebles
13.We are one--Allen Toussaint

Now...to get to the music. I like this CD. It's not cutting edge, there are no vocal acrobatics...but it sure is easy to sit down with...like an old friend...or a good cup of coffee. It's warm and friendly. There is a humanity about it. When Ann Peebles sings 'when the candle burns low', you feel the pain, but are encouraged by the hope. That kind of sums up this music. It's real. It's honest. It's about 'heart' and soul. It's about how 'we are one'...how we share in this life...both the joys and sorrows.

I have to give this project 5 stars. I'd give the music 4 stars, but with the added bonus of part of the purchase price going to the Red Cross to aid the Katrina victims...how can it be anything but a 5?

Simply one of the most exciting recordings in years. New, and vibrant, performances by dearly beloved. Joe Henry continues his blessed mission in producing fresh work by great soul era artists overlooked by an increasingly homogeneous music industry. Enough grumpy old man, I Believe To My Soul is the rare thing that puts one at risk of stopping people and boring them about it. The juice produced by Henry's matching of Solomon Burke with songs by contemporary writers brought the great man to Australia; Bettye LaVette appeared on Letterman (would that she appear in the footsteps of her contemporary Betty Harris at the Prince of Wales venue in Melbourne). Henry has brought together, in alphabetical order, Ann Peebles, Billy Preston, Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint. If even one of those names stirs, a treat awaits. Everyone is in great form. Mavis Staples is alight raising her voice in praise on album opener You Must Have That True Religion, relentless on Keep On Pushing. Irma Thomas reaches higher and higher on Loving Arms, Ann Peebles heartbreaking on When the Candle Burns Low. The album was recorded in June last year. Then came Katrina. Toussaint became one of the refugees in the Superdome and Thomas was among early hurricane missing. So it was a delight to happen upon the two closing the Grammys telecast with a musical blast for the battered Gulf Coast and the lately lamented Wilson Pickett. Too late, but what sweet noise Pickett and Joe Henry might have made. For those who like that sort of thing (salutations), Allen Toussaint is on piano throughout, arranged the horns, sings three. That he is thanked in the notes for ''unfailing generosity'' is nice. Is it worth going grumpy because the notes are a strain to read by dint of marrying magenta and black into gloom? Sigh. Ah well, overreaching design never silenced such heavenly voices.

Superb outing from a passel of soul immortals, produced by that ace producer, Joe Henry...a highly accomplished artist his own self...this is his what? 4th or 5th smash production...and the artists, from Ann Peebles to Allen Toussaint to Billy Preston (and including several others) all really shine...not to be missed.

Simply stated, this is a beautiful recording by talented artists. Having seen producer Joe Henry work recent soulful magic with Solomon Burke and Susan Tedeschi, and being very impressed with the backgrounds and talents of the five performers on this recording, I was anxious to give this CD a listen. Needless to say, this CD did not disappoint and is easy-going and soulful in every sense and brings out the best of these amazing artists ... the type of recording that bears repeated listening and always sounds fresh. I can't wait for future releases in this series.

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS ALBUM PRODUCED BY JOE HENRY BRINGS TOGETHER FIVE R&B/SOUL OLD-TIMERS: MAVIS STAPLES, BILLY PRESTON, IRMA THOMAS, ANN PEEBLES AND ALLEN TOUSSAINT.NEW MATERIAL, NEW ARRANGEMENTS, GREAT BAND PLAYING WITH THEM. RECORDED AT CAPITAL STUDIOS IN L.A. IN 2005, SADLY, BILLY PRESTON IS NO LONGER WITH US ANYMORE. PURE MAGIC. SHOWS EVERYBODY HOW THIS MUSIC IS DONE RIGHT. ANN PEEBLES' RENDITION OF BOB DYLAN'S "TONIGHT I'LL BE STAYING HERE WITH YOU" IS PURE MEMPHIS SOUL, AND MAVIS STAPLES' VERSION OF CURTIS MAYFIELD'S "KEEP ON PUSHING" IS MAVIS AT HER SOULFUL BEST. IRMA THOMAS SHINES ON "LOVING ARMS".

One listen to this CD will be enough for any fan of soul music to know that these artists are top notch. Well written songs played skillfully and tastefully. "Both Ways", "We Are One", "The Same Love", and "Loving Arms" are all clear winners. Ignore the somewhat pretentious "this is NOT a recreation of...." etc, etc. All that is unnecessary. Toussaint, Preston, Thomas, Staples, and Peebles provide great songs and play them beautifully.

If this CD doesn't take home some grammys next year, there is no justice in the music biz. All of these great 60's soul artists sound wonderful and Joe Henry's production is perfect. This is just an amazing CD. If you love the sounds that came out of New Orleans and Muscle Shoals in the 60's, pick this one up. You won't be disappointed! Highlights include Irma Thomas'"Loving Arms" and Allen Toussaint's "Riverboat".

This is a compilation of new recordings by some of the fine soul artists of our time-Ann Peebles, Billy Preston, Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas, and Allen Toussaint. This project was initiated and produced by Joe Henry, who did such outstanding work on Solomon Burke's great cd, `Don't Give Up On Me', a couple of years back, so this figured to be a perfect showcase for these great artists. Surprisingly, although every track is deserving of repeated listens, the cd is not quite the force we were anticipating. Henry's style of production, which worked brilliantly on Burke's record, is low-keyed and unobtrusive: find a bunch of top-flight musicians; find a good song; bring one of these masterful performers into the studio; and let the tape roll (or whatever it is they do in these digital days). Unfortunately, when you have only a couple of songs to showcase an artist (with 5 artists sharing one cd), the low-key approach does not work as well. What one wants, at least what we want, anyway, are bravura performances of knockout songs so that we can get a sense of each artist at his/her pinnacle. In about half the cases here, the songs are not the `killers' we'd been hoping for. Of course that means that half of them are, which is more than most cds provide, so this album is certainly still worth owning. It seems to us that the women fare best here, perhaps because they are the more stirring performers. After all, Toussaint is more renowned as a writer/producer/player than as a headliner and Preston, although successful as a solo artist, is primarily famous for having been the 5th Beatle. Mavis, Irma and Ann, on the other hand, are all powerhouse singers and `frontmen', if you will, and it is their performances that carry this cd to some breath-taking heights. Our only regret is that Henry didn't find a way to have the 3 of them perform together. Perhaps our hearts could not have withstood that much soul. Nevertheless, the idea of giving exposure to such deserving and underexposed R&B artists is a wonderful idea. Henry has promised that this is just the first in a series of such projects and we anxiously await those to follow.

Does the name Joe Henry ring a bell? If the name doesn't catch your attention right away what about these names-Mavis Staples, Billy Preston, Allen Toussaint, Ann Peebles and Irma Thomas? Joe Henry acted as producer for this project which brought these classic artists back to the studio to record brand new soul records. The statement on the back of the CD jacket reads, "This is a new soul record done in a classic mode, not a re-creation of classic soul music." The statement ends with the promise, "there is more to come."

Upon popping in the CD and hearing the familiar voice of Mavis Staples you feel like you are listening to a old school soul CD and all of the songs have that flavor. You know these voices and these artists even if you don't know these songs. If you enjoy these artists or your parents or grandparents dig old R&B soul music Joe Henry's I Believe To My Soul will make a great gift this holiday season.

I found a used copy for a rock bottom price and thought I'd give it a spin. I'm sure glad I did. The music was recorded June 4-10, 2005. Late in the year 2005, Billy Preston slipped into a coma, never regained consciousness, and finally passed on June 6, 2006, one year after this was recorded. Of Preston's contributions, "Both Ways" has the classic soul feel with powerful instrumental backing.

I have four favorite tracks on the CD. Ann Peebles redefines the song "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" that Bob Dylan recorded for his album Nashville Skyline. She croons with a voice that sounds like a well of experience, "I can hear the whistle blowing; I see the station master too; If there's a poor girl in the street, she can have my seat, cause tonight I'll be staying here with you." Irma Thomas wrote "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" and records it here with Doyle Bramhall II on acoustic & electric guitar. In the middle of the song, the instruments break and percussion pounds like a heartbeat, "You think of love that's sitting on a mountain, think of it as being a great big rock, won't you think before you start it rolling, because once you start it, you can't make it stop." This is such an amazing track! Irma Thomas also takes Tom Jans' famous song "Loving Arms" that's been recorded by artists as diverse as Petula Clark, Rita Coolidge, Dixie Chicks, Dobie Gray, Millie Jackson, Elvis Presley and Livingston Taylor, and powers it full of emotion, "I've been too long in the wind, too long in the rain, seeking any comfort that I can; Looking back and longing for the freedom of my chains, lying in your loving arms again." Allen Toussaint's fluid piano on his instrumental "Turvalon" makes an incredible track. Toussaint's fingers pound the ivories with astounding agility. This CD that brings together five excellent artists including the amazing Mavis Staples is well worth seeking out. Bravo!