Soulbook

Rod Stewart | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: J-Records
• ASIN: B002OHOEFO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,465 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 album from the Grammy Award winning Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer. SoulBook is a collection of classic '60s and '70s era Soul favorites sung by one of the most interpretive voices in music. Stewart is personally passionate about this project, which is a return to his beginnings when he fronted The Jeff Beck Band and the critically-revered band The Faces, iconic in the history books for fusing American roots music - Rock, Soul and Blues. Soulbook reunites Stewart with his longtime collaborators, producers Steve Tyrell and Steve Jordan, of Rolling Stones/Xpensive Winos fame, who also brought in top musicians Ray Parker Jr., Waddy Watchel, Darrell Jones, Dean Parks and David Paich to join Rod in the studio for the album.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ROD IS BACK--with a mixed bag, unfortunately, October 26, 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: Soulbook (Audio CD)

(3.5 stars)

Rod Stewart's latest CD, "Soulbook," has him singing fairly well but it's not exactly the best album he has ever released. For Rod's fans when he was doing a much, much different style of music, this may not be for them unless they also like this genre of music, too. Rod's voice may not be quite as strong as it was twenty or more years ago; but that's the aging process. I will say that Rod still delivers his songs from the heart and that's admirable. The track set lets the songs flow rather well into each other and that enhances the album but then again there are a few missteps along the way. Some numbers are stronger than others for sure!

"It's The Same Old Song" is very well done; and this starts the album off in a good direction. The drums and percussion add a lot to the arrangement. The music fits in very well with Rod's vocals and he never misses a beat, either! "My Cherie Amour" features Stevie Wonder singing with Rod; I like it but this is truly Stevie's song. Moreover, at this stage in his life Rod's voice just can't measure up to the Stevie's original performance back in the day. Sorry, Rod! On the other hand, however, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" charms me with its beauty; Mary J. Blige does a great job with Rod and that's grand. They should do more duets together! I also really like "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher;" the arrangement works wonders for this classic tune.

"Let It Be Me" is a stunner that has Rod Stewart singing wonderfully with Jennifer Hudson. Hudson was the perfect choice for this duet--heck, she could sing out the phonebook and I'd be standing there applauding! Rod's vocals are also easy on the ear. In addition, "Rainy Night in Georgia" is a big highlight of this album. "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" is another song that gets a fine treatment; Rod sings this and the backup singers harmonize to perfection.

Whether or not you'll like the other tracks depends on your personal preferences. To my mind, other songs that make the grade include "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "If You Don't Know Me by Now." The arrangements for the other tracks are good but they could have been better and Rod's voice just isn't quite solid enough to rank as high in my book as it used to rank although I do get the clear impression that Rod sings with all his heart and soul and I admire that.

Overall, "Soulbook" is an album for people who like classic soul music and covers of those tunes; and Rod Stewart diehard fans may want to get this because they would probably like to have everything Rod ever did or will do. The more casual fan, however, would do well to keep looking for other soul albums; this is a pretty good album but it's just not completely distinguished.

40 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 'Soulbook': Stewart Continues His Career as a Cover Artist, October 26, 2009

By 

Antoine D. Reid "80sforever" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soulbook (Audio CD)

Rod Stewart's 'Soulbook' is very similar to his Great American Songbook collection; rather than singing classic Rat Pack era songs, or 'rock' standards as with another recent release, this time he's taking on 'soul' hits; classic R&B hits. Sigh. Don't get me wrong, Stewart's voice and style is definitely present but an issue I have with 'Soulbook' is that similar to the American Songbook series, the song line-up really don't do anything for him. They sound like cover songs (which they are), as if he's just singing them without much thought or true feeling. After 13 tracks, my main complaint is that this doesn't feel anything like Rod Stewart. It feels like Rod Stewart's leaving behind the style, attitude and personality that made him so popular and the musical icon that he is and is settling for covering other artists' songs and standards. What 'Soulbook' lacks is the soul of Stewart. Yes, he sings each song decently well but there's always a feeling that there's something missing in each track and on the album on a whole.

The Good: His voice is probably the best part of the album. It's his signature, it's raspy and it fits this genre a bit better than it did the American Songbook collection of tracks. There's a big 1970s vibe to the album and the arrangements of many of the songs, from the instruments to the production, makes 'Soulbook' sound as if it fits into his early releases. Unlike with the past songbook collections, Stewart comes off a bit more comfortable in this genre and back in his element. I felt he was best on "Tracks of My Tears" which is a very laid back and stripped-down affair where his voice and sensuality and sensibility are on display, and "If You Don't Know Me By Now" that is purely a cover song but his voice and vocals just makes it stand out.

The Bad: The weakness of the album comes from the fact that Rod Stewart seems willing to sit back and ride on the coat tails of others' hits and songs rather than break ground and take on new and original material. The entire cover-artist thing was a fun departure for one CD, it was interesting for a second, but with this being the fifth release of 'standards' and cover songs (4 counting the American Songbook collection, plus the album of rock standards) ... this act feels tired and a bit uninspired. You can distinctly tell he's not fully attached to some songs in the way he is when he's performing songs that are completely his. There's a definite attempt of sticking to the original rather than completely experimenting and mixing it up a bit on the songs because they are such big standards and well-known songs. To me, it held him back as an artist. On another note, this felt like a rather sleepy, uninspired release. There's no real spark to it and it gives off a feeling that this was just another release of covers to stay out there and make money. While his past collaborations have been really special, the Jennifer Hudson and Mary J Blige duets just did nothing for me either. Again, part of the problem is that the arrangements and treatments to the songs are straight-forward covers and (to me) are not showcasing the best of this great solo artist.

In all, 'Soulbook' is average at best. Nothing new, far too reserved and safe. I hope at some point Stewart returns to purely original material with songs that he can truly put his stamp on rather than playing things so safe and relying on others' songs and hits to keep his career going. A bit disappointing but listenable.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easily Surpasses 'The Great American Songbook' Series, November 3, 2009

By 

Michael Brent Faulkner, Jr. "Brent Faulkner" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soulbook (Audio CD)

While the general consensus by Rod Stewart fans may be that they'd much rather hear a new album of Rod Stewart original as opposed to countless volumes of covers, on Soulbook, Rod Stewart sounds much more natural than he did on any of 'The Great American Songbook' series. Maybe it is because Stewart reigned in a time where music was more universal (the 1970s) - where soul was met with wide reception by rock stars/rock fans and rock was met with wide reception by soul stars/soul fans. Trivializations aside, SOULBOOK has greater vitality than his past series, even if ultimately the rock star brings nothing 'new' to these great, vintage classics.

The album opens up convincingly with "Same Old Song", which suits Stewart's smokey vocals well. On the Stevie Wonder featuring "My Cherie Amour", Stewart also sounds convincing, never overshadowing the original, of course. His duet with Mary J. Blige on "You Make Me Feel Brand New" is the first true showstopper of the album, finding Stewart achieving some 'grit' within his vocals. Cynics might say that singing with a powerhouse such as Blige, he 'had to sang!'

On "Your Love (Keeps Lifting Me Higher)", cynics must quiet down as it easily ranks as one of the best solo performances of the album. "Tracks of My Tears" doesn't fall flat at all as Stewart gives the easily recognizable Smokey Robinson classic just treatment. Even better is his fine duet with Grammy-/Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson on "Let It Be Me".

"Rainy Night In Georgia" isn't too shabby, though it isn't nearly as great as the very best in my opinion ("You Make Me Feel Brand New", "Your Love (Keeps Lifting Me Higher)", and "Let I Be Me"). One of my personal favorite soul songs "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" makes up for any laxness on "Georgia" (which is good, mind you) and finds Stewart channelling Jimmy Ruffin confidently - well as confidently as possible when covering one of soul's greatest songs.

"Love Train" is solid, though the listener feels this isn't as 'legitimate' a cover as some. "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" is a slight departure from the original, bringing some freshness to 'Soulbook'. "Wonderful World" proves enjoyable, while "If You Don't Know Me By Now" also deviates slightly harmonically from the original Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes tune (or the later cover by Simply Red), much like the slight alterations of "You've Really Got a Hold On Me". While I won't say its better than Seal's cover from his fine, yet underrated Soul album, it is strong. "Just My Imagination" ends the album on a high note.

Overall, Stewart has produced a strong covers album, even if it is 'middle of the road' to some extent. Either way, I'm just glad to hear Stewart still singing in his 60s. 4 stars.