Don't Give Up on Me

Solomon Burke

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 23, 2002)
• Original Release Date: July 23, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epitaph / Ada
• ASIN: B000068CTE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,855 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Of all the great male '60s soul singers--a short list that includes Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and James Brown--only Solomon Burke still actively records. More amazing, he's produced his best full-length album with Don't Give Up on Me. It's easy to give some credit to the album's star songwriters, who include Burke fans Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Brian Wilson, and Bob Dylan. But really it's the quality of the songs and Burke himself, one of the most versatile and charismatic singers around, that make this album so special.

The 11 songs range from the lazy, seductive plea of the title track and the gravelly gospel of "Diamond in Your Mind" to the country-soul of "Other Side of the Coin" and the civil-rights-era urgency of "None of Us Are Free." Joe Henry's production is suitably subdued, and the instrumentation--generally guitar, bass, drums, organ, and piano--is sympathetic throughout. And if you doubt that Burke is the real star in a room crowded with those folks, consider this: the two slightest tracks here were written by Wilson and Costello, while one of the best, the album-closing "Sit This One Out," was written by someone named Pick Purnell. A great album not fixed in the past or fully of this decade, Don't Give Up is a crowning achievement of an R&B pioneer who has returned to reclaim his self-bestowed title from the '60s: "The King of Rock and Soul." --Keith Moerer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars R&B Record of the Year, November 21, 2002

By	Larry White (AdultPop.com) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The best male R&B album of the year has recently been released and it is not by a fresh, new voice but by this 66 year-old member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Unless you are an R&B maven, chances are you, like us, are more familiar with Solomon Burke's name and reputation than you are with his work. He never had a Top 20 hit, thus never achieved the popularity of some of his contemporaries, say Percy Sledge or Clarence Carter. Nevertheless, when the roll of the great soul singers is called, his name is invariably among them. Burke sings with what the liner notes so accurately refer to as `passionate restraint'. Although his vocals display the same intensity as Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett, they seem much more effortless, as natural as a lion's roar. What makes this album so special and what we imagine will be the pinnacle of Burke's career is that nearly every song has been written especially for him by some of the great songwriters of our time. Dan Penn, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Joe Henry, Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Nick Lowe, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil...that's a rock & roll hall of fame right there. And Burke puts his own inimitable stamp on each. Backed by a powerhouse band including Burke's church organist Rudy Copeland and inobtrusively produced by Joe Henry, this gives the whippersnappers something to shoot for.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Bluesman still has Soul in him, April 2, 2003

By	Omer Belsky (Haifa, Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

On the 31st of January 2003 I went to concert that double featured a seemingly very unusual combination - The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (a hard rock band with over-the-top Blues mannerism) and Solomon Burke, a legendary Soul singer from the 60s. I came to see Jon Spencer - but I left with memories of Solomon Burke as one of the most amazing performers I've ever encountered. The deep, rich voice, the energetic personality (even though he sat on a chair and rarely got up during the entire show!) and most of all, Burke's showmanship, the way he cast his spell on the crowd, were simply unrivaled.

This CD captures as much as possible of that magical spirit. It has Burke at his best - crispy clear, enthusiastic and focused. It has sharp, minimalist back up band (along with special guests such as 'The Blind Boys of Alabama' and Daniel Lenois). It doesn't hurt that it has some of today's finest songwriters contributing songs to it.

I find it interesting that the target audience for Burke's latest is solidly the Rock/Alternative Rock crowd. Burke, a little like Hendrix, is now firmly in the predominantly white rock camp. I suspect there is an interesting social message in that - but let us get back to the music, for it is very nearly divine.

The music rages from the brittle blues of the title track, through the folky Fast Train, ..., Jazz-Soul (Flesh and Blood) and something approaching Gospel (the sublime none of us are free).

The only weak track here is from another 60s relic, Brian Wilson's Soul Searching, which proves that not everyone has a place in the comeback market - go back to the Beach Boys Reunion tours where you belong, Brian!

Everything else varies between the very good and the sublime. Van Morrison contributes two tracks, both of which appear on his latest CD. The first one, Fast Train is particularly good. Joe Henry's Flesh and Blood is dark, slow and atmospheric. Both the Costello contribution and Lowe's song (The Other Side of the Coin) are good. I'd say Lowe is better - the lyrics seem fresher, and the music a little more catchy.

Three songs deserve special attention. Tom Waits is one of the most versatile, thoughtful and clever songwriters of our time. 'Diamond in Your Mind' is one of his best songs - it keeps away from the over the top humor of songs like 'Better Not Married' and 'Goin' Out West' for the simple beautiful melody (a la Alice and I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You). Burke is truly into it - he performs with real passion, careful in the verses and explosive during the choruses, especially in the stunning ending ("one more time" Burke shouts, and the band launches into the chorus again).

Bob Dylan is a man who needs no introduction. Stepchild is a song from the late 70s, which was sometimes performed with the grand band Dylan had during the 'Street Legal' tour. It has been abandoned after Dylan's conversion to Christianity, and like most of the late 70s pre-Jesus stuff, has not been played live since. It is nice to know Dylan hasn't forgotten this song, which is a funky-bluesy gem. Burke's interpretation is masterful (as usual) on this one - his references to Dylan ("Whatever you want you know I'm willin'/But I sure can't be Bob Dylan") perfectly capture the humorous I-got-knockdown-but-I'll-get-up feel of the song.

Arguably the best song in the CD 'None of Us are Free' is one before last. It has a poetic social theme straight out of John Donne (None of us are free/If one of us is chained), a long with a powerful melody. This is a Gospel number, and appropriately that the Blind Boys of Alabama are featured as back up vocalist. The refrain is addictive and, as Burke says in the liner notes, he could've gone on with it all night.

Interestingly, instead of ending in this epic note, the powers that be chose as final number the intimate 'Sit This One Out'. I probably would have preferred 'None of Us Are Free' as a last song, but I understand the decision - it is a personal statement from the fatherly Burke, in the best tradition of Soul and Gospel, that we can overcome, and that we will prevail. Amen.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get the throne ready, August 16, 2002

By	thestaxman (Jackson, MS United States) - See all my reviews

The "King of Rock & Soul" ascends his throne in all his glory with this tremendously refreshing comeback album. It's refreshing in every sense of the word. It's sound is refreshing and intimate. It's refreshing that a Soul album on a Soul artist, legendary or not, (But in particular a legendary one) is just that, soulful. Recorded live in the studio with a great cast of musicians, this album should bring deserved attention to the small Fat Possum record label in Oxford, MS. The songs on this album were all proudly contributed to Burke by some of the most respected people in the business. Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Brian Wilson are just the most famous of the lot. Morrison's songs are two of the better ones on the album, particularly "Fast Train". Both have Morrison written all over them, and in fact, he's using them on his upcoming outing. Like Morrison, Waits's, Wilson's, and Costello's songs are also instantly recognizable as theirs. Bob Dylan submits what is probably the most generic song on the album. Another highlight is the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil/Brenda Russell written "None Of Us Are Free". The two aforementioned titles, as well as the rest of the album, are graced by a superlative organ player in Rudy Copeland. Copeland, who is blind, is the organist at the church where Burke pastors. The title cut is written by songwriting cohorts Dan Penn and Carson Whitsett, along with Hoy Lindsey. Penn wanted to write an Otis Redding type ballad and had wanted to use the title "Don't Give Up On Me". Whitsett sat down and started laying down Otis like chord changes and the result, in my opinion, is a song that sounds like a classic '60s country Soul hit. In fact, I think it's the best true Southern Soul song written since the days of Al Geen's prime. Copeland's playful interplay with Burke is uniquely splendid. To say Burke sounds great would be an understatement. His voice is smooth and strong. The Joe Henry produced ensemble deliver a package that should be titled "Don't Give Up On Music."