Black and Blue/Tobacco Road [Remaster]

Performer: Lou Rawls
Artist: Richard "Groove" Holmes
Producer: Nik Venet
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Lou Rawls (vocals); Gene Edwards (guitar); Curtis Amy (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Alexander Nelson (alto saxophone); Lou Ciotti, Jay Migliori (tenor saxophone); Jack Nimitz (baritone saxophone); Bob Rolfe, Bobby Bryant , Bud Brisbois (trumpet); Horace Tapscott, Lou Blackburn, Lester Robertson (trombone); Bob Knight (bass trombone); Richard "Groove" Holmes (organ); Jim Crutcher (bass instrument); Leroy Henderson (drums). This excellent twofer brings together a pair of albums Lou Rawls recorded for Capitol in the early 1960s. Both sessions feature Rawls with a hard-swinging big band and flanked by a three-strong saxophone section and the soul-jazz organist Richard "Groove" Holmes. The results, as one might expect, are both raucous and smoky. And while Rawls wouldn't hit his stride commercially until 1966's LOU RAWLS LIVE, he sounds utterly in command here. Both BLACK AND BLUE and TOBACCO ROAD focus on jazz and blues standards, including George Gershwin's "Summertime," Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair," W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," and John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road," which would become Rawls's signature tune. The artist's rugged, soulful singing is the perfect match for the well-arranged big band, and the 2006 CD-issue of these classic albums is a welcome arrival.

Chicago-born soulster Lou Rawls was one of the most popular and versatile singers in pop music during the 1960s and '70s. His distinctive baritone, as well-suited to pop and jazz as it was to straight soul, formed a seductive blend of silk and gravel, and made a fan out of, among others, Frank Sinatra. Rawls lent his unique style to some of the biggest names in the music business, including David Axelrod and Gamble & Huff. His later career was marked by occasional acting gigs as well his work with the United Negro College Fund. When Rawls died of lung cancer in early 2006, the music world lost a genuine treasure.

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