Customer Reviews

Nudge It Up A Notch

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

The duo explore more contemporary sounds with the soul-rap "Make the Time Go Faster" and proto-funk of "Still Be Loving You," and Cropper's guitars turn swampy (and Thompson's drums get heavy) for the instrumental "Full Moon Tonight." Two more instrumentals, "Cuttin' It Close" and the ska-rhythmed "Jamaica Delight," are undermined by dated sounds from Cavaliere's keyboard, and though the same might have been true of the synthesized strings on the soft soul "Impossible," it's saved by Cavaliere and his background singers. The album's closing instrumental "Love Appetite" is likewise plagued by synthesizers on its edges, but Cropper's charging guitar and Cavaliere's Ramsey Lewis-styled piano provides salvation. This album delivers what it promises: two soul legends combining their talents into a contemporary album that deeply echoes the past. The real surprise is how vital both players sound. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

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.

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!

You are a fan of both of these musicians. In fact you adore most of their work, right? So you'd think this would be a good match up and it is - at least with Felix, Steve and the rythym section. Felix is in great vocal shape and Cropper has plenty of his fine and tasty chops. It's what was done in the mastering job of this recording that makes it a 2 star not a 5. The cd's volume is the loudest I have every heard. Most songs are so "hot" that there is noticeable distortion. The upper mid range-treble on up is so jacked up that it is painful to listen to on a good hifi system.

Now - if you buy this - be sure to use a playback system where you can roll off the top end alot. "Notch" down your treble and volume controls from what you normaly listen at. In other words - you'll have to try and re-eq this cd to keep your ears from bleeding!

Too bad. The music is very good.

Why would both of these vetrans of the vinyl analog age approve such a digital butchering job of their beautiful music?

Funny that the cover of the cd has a record player. This is the least vinyl sounding cd I have ever heard.

I've been waiting for something really different to be released for a long time. It's here, it's great and it's about time some good music has been recorded. I'm amazed how Felix C's voice still sounds like it did in the 60's. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

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.

This is one of those cds that I will end up championing to all my friends. It won't be given top 40 airplay or even reviewed in the major circles. But, if this had come out in 1965-70 when Felix was in his hit days, this would be looked on as a classic must have. His voice is in such good form that as I listen to it now, I hear no difference between 2008 and 1965. "If It Wasn't For Loving You," has all the trappings of that perfect 1960's summer top 10 hit. It's cd's like this that make me miss top 40 radio.

The new release form Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere is proof again that Old Dogs can still stand proudly on the porch. This is a high quality R & B release with Felix's vocals taking you back to the late 60's & 70's Rascals quality. His voice is powerful and Cropper's economical style of play make for an excellent combination. The Horns and the background vocals are a mixture of Booker T & the MGs & The Blues Brothers. The first 7 cuts are the strength of the release. I listen to them fequently. There are outstanding instumentals but you will truly enjoy the Cavaliere vocal style combined with Cropper's well known playing.

This sound shows its roots. The music can take you back or introduce you to a fine framework of instrument blend, beat and sharp lyrics. You might sit back, relax and listen. Don't worry. It won't last. You'll be dancin' with your baby before the grooves are through.

When I first heard about "Nudge It Up A Notch" the thought of a collaboration between the legendary Stax guitar virtuoso Steve Cropper and one of the truly great voices in rock and roll history Felix Cavaliere really intrigued me. Although one can never be sure about these things I believed that this was an imaginative concept that offered a great deal of potential. Co-producer Jon Tiven was bound and determined to make this project happen and as a result after several stops and starts "Nudge It Up A Notch" was finally released in July 2008. I am very pleased to report that the album is even better than I would have expected.

Many of you might be thinking that "Nudge It Up A Notch" is just another album by and aging rock and rollers desperately trying to hang on. Let me reassure you in no uncertain terms that this is simply not the case. This album bears absolutely no resemblance to one of Rod Stewart's pathetic "Great American Songbook" discs. Instead the music is fresh and vibrant. This album is a fabulous opportunity for both Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere to reconnect with long-time fans and to introduce their considerable songwriting and musical prowess to a whole new generation of listeners. Those of you looking for tunes reminiscent of the Rascal's heyday will certainly enjoy the opening track "One of Those Days" as well as the funky sounds of "To Make It Right". A rather unusual feature of this album is that four of the twelve tracks turned out to be instrumentals. In Jon Tiven's superb liner notes he explains that this was definitely not by design. "Nobody started out thinking we'd do instrumentals, but some of the music we wrote felt better that way." The result is pure magic on all 4 of these tracks. It is quite apparent that as musicians both Steve and Felix are still on top of their game. I particularly enjoyed "Jamaica Delight" and "Love Appetite". See if you agree. Those who are partial to a more mellow sound will also find much to like on "Nudge It Up A Notch". My very favorite song on the disc is something called "Impossible". The backup vocals on this one are impeccable and in days gone by "Impossible" would definitely be a candidate to be a "Top 40" hit. The guys even dabble in a little rap with a tune called "Make The Time Go Faster" that I thought worked surprisingly well.

These days there really isn't a whole lot of new music for Baby Boomers to buy. I still enjoy looking but frankly more often than not I walk away empty handed. I found "Nudge It Up A Notch" to be the exception to the rule. This is an album I will definitely play every now and again. The idea for this album was sound and the results were extraordinary. I was quite surprised to discover that Steve and Felix had a hand in writing each one of the dozen songs on this album. Nice job guys! I would also be remiss if I failed to acknowledge background vocalists Mark Williams and N'nandi Bryant whose considerable abilities were in evidence on a number of the tracks on this disc. Outstanding work by everyone involved on this one! Very highly recommended!