The Ultimate Otis Redding

Performer: Otis Redding
Artist: Booker T. & The MG's; The Memphis Horns
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Otis Redding (vocals); Steve Cropper (guitar); Andrew Love, Floyd Newman, Joe Arnold, Packy Axton (saxophone); Wayne Jackson, Gene "Bowlegs" Miller (trumpet); Booker T. Jones (piano, organ); Donald "Duck" Dunn, Lewis Steinberg (bass); Al Jackson, Jr. (drums). Producers: Otis Redding, Steve Cropper, Jim Stewart. Recorded between 1962 & 1967. The title isn't exactly accurate; frankly, given the uniformly high quality of Redding's output before his tragic death at the age of 26--the ultimate Otis would have to be a box set of every single note he ever recorded. On the other hand, he already made an album called THE DICTIONARY OF SOUL (the only other title that seems apt), so let's not quibble. THE ULTIMATE OTIS REDDING is, in fact, an extremely well-chosen one-CD best-of by the greatest soul man of them all, highlighting his immense skills as a songwriter ("I Can't Turn You Loose," "Respect"), interpreter ("Try a Little Tenderness," "Satisfaction"), and singer ("That's How Strong My Love Is," "These Arms of Mine"). '60s R&B doesn't get any better.

One of the great 1960s soul men, Otis Redding combined the rhythmic grit of James Brown with the sweet gospel croon of Sam Cooke. The Georgia-born singer/songwriter had his first flush of success in '63 with "These Arms of Mine," and the hits kept flowing. Redding's punchy, horn-driven, emotive style helped define the classic Stax soul sound. His performance at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in '67 demonstrated his ability to appeal to a larger pop/rock audience, and he had indeed become a major star by that point. Sadly, Redding was killed in a plane accident later that year at the age of 26. Despite a career cut short by his tragic death, he has had a lasting influence on generations of singers in numerous genres.

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