Life, Love and Faith

Allen Toussaint | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Water
• ASIN: B000F8DTW8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,458 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

1972's Life, Love and Faith was Toussaint's first album for Warner Reprise. While a soul record through and through, this effort from the multi-talented New Orleans native shares some of the singer/songwriter vibe of his contemporary label-mates, such as Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Lowell George and Little Feat. Stand out tracks include Soul Sister, Victims Of The Darkness and On Your Way Down. First domestic CD release. Original artwork. New detailed liner notes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul Majesty, November 11, 2006

By 

Soulboogiealex (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life, Love and Faith (Audio CD)

Allen Tousaint is one of those figures in the world of Soul and Funk who never had a career in the full spotlight. He rather chose to be behind the curtain writing and producing. In doing so Toussaint was a major force behind the development of the Crescent City Sound in the sixties. Although he had something of a solo career in that decade he didn't get it properly started until the seventies. "Life, Love and Faith" followed the beautiful "From a Whisper to a Scream", both being Toussaint's first proper album efforts. Releases before that were aimed at the 45 market as most of the R&B material of the sixties. It wasn't until people like Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes and Stevie Wonder started to produce records that were meant for the album market that hit big R&B would be taken serious as an album producing field.

Where From a Whisper still leaned heavily into material he originally written for others, Life, Love and Faith would be Toussaint's first album that stood on its own. Instead of producing for the Meters, the legendary funk band became his backing group on this outing adding a horn section. As many of his contemporaries Toussaint moved away from safe grounds. The album dealt with adult themes. Relational song gained depth and Toussaint asserted himself politically.

Although Life, Love and Faith is on par with the better work of mentioned album artists in the R&B field he never got the commercial recognition those artists got, his biggest successes remained productions for others. Listening to the record now it is a mystery. Life, Love and Faith contains solid song writing, moving, catching and still relevant. The music is funky, light and breezy yet manages to grab your attention, keep you focussed. It is music in service of the song yet exhilarating.

In recent years Toussaint has gotten some more recognition for his role in the development of R&B peaking for now with his collaboration with Elvis Costello. Their album features one of the key songs on Life, Love and Faith, Going Down. Anyone who enjoyed that album will certainly enjoy this album; anyone who loves classic Soul will love it. This is pure Soul Majesty.