Solomon Burke - Oh What A Feeling

Oh What A Feeling

If you don't own this CD yet, you really need to go out and buy one. It is, quite simply, a work of genius - in Solomon Burke's own words, a masterpiece. It's not Solomon doing a Rock album, or a Country album, it's this greatest of all Soul singers doing a Soul album at the last true Soul studio with the greatest of all Soul producers. It is as good as it gets and, in my opinion, sure to be a Grammy winner next February. If that weren't enough of a reason for you to pick one up, I just found out that Newbury Comics is still shipping the album with the personally autographed CD booklet that I mentioned during the YouTube interview last week.

It was released on a small label, through a New York based company that Willie was working with. As Solomon says in their own promotional video for the album (which was also posted on YouTube just last week), "I hope that this record reaches out to millions of people around the world. I'm sure that whatever time it will take, it will make it, it will get to where it will be. Willie already projected what it was to be. He's in charge now, and on a higher height, and on a higher level. So we have to do our job here on earth because, you know - on earth as it is in Heaven..."

As it is in Heaven, indeed.

This wonderful opening track from the album we have here today holds a special place in my heart. You can just picture Poppa Willie coaching King Solomon there outside the vocal booth, and getting him to really sing. Willie (along with Spencer Randolph) co-wrote the song with another good friend of ours who passed on this year, the kind and gentle Julius Bradley. Julius had worked with Willie at Royal since the days when The Memphians cut for Pawn in the mid-seventies. I just can't believe they are all gone.

Do your job here on earth. Nothing's Impossible.