William Bell - This Is Where I Live

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:55
Size: 90,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:24)  1. The Three Of Me
(2:56)  2. The House Always Wins
(3:15)  3. Poison In The Well
(2:52)  4. I Will Take Care Of You
(3:17)  5. Born Under A Bad Sign
(2:56)  6. All Your Stories
(2:52)  7. Walking On A Tightrope
(3:14)  8. This Is Where I Live
(4:19)  9. More Rooms
(3:00) 10. All The Things You Can't Remember
(3:48) 11. Mississippi-Arkansas Bridge
(2:58) 12. People Want To Go Home

Stax Records was recently revived under the umbrella of the Concord Music Group, in a commendable gesture to acknowledge the southern soul artists on the legendary label. When Stax (formerly Satellite Records) originated in 1961, one of the first artists signed was a young singer/songwriter named William Bell, who hit the charts that same year with "You Don't Miss Your Water." But it would be for his monumental song "Born Under A Bad Sign" co-written by Booker T. Jones, and recorded in 1967 by Albert King that he is remembered. Bell, now age 76, returns to Stax after forty years with This Is Where I Live, a testament of truthful soul singing at its best. Teaming up with producer John Leventhal, Bell revisits that classic Stax sound where he began so long ago, like returning home, picking up where he left off. Memphis is the home of Stax, so there is a mild undercurrent of country, but this is pure soul. From the mid-tempo groove of "The Three Of Me," Bell wastes no time in setting the stage, and showing he is a singer of the highest caliber. His mastery of lyrics and ability tell a story everyone can relate to is evident on "The House Always Wins," a tale of life told in terms of gambling and losing. The tempo picks up with "Poison In The Well," and it drops way down on "I Will Take Care Of You," a poignant promise to an ailing love.

He revisits "Born Under A Bad Sign," this time a bit softer, but he still has no luck at all. Digging into the Jesse Winchester songbook, "All Your Stories," is an acoustical look in the mirror, a perfect vehicle for a man with a long and interesting past. Bell sings of this life in "This Is Where I Live," and how music has been his sanctuary and refuge, whereas "More Rooms," depicts an empty house, after the love is gone. The impact of harsh words shaped "All The Things You Can't Remember," as forgiveness is erased from possible options. The Staple Singers groove springs into "Mississippi-Arkansas Bridge," a colorful painting of a musician's life in the south, and he goes back to his roots with "People Want To Go Home." There was a lot of pressure in the making of this record. The sheer magnitude of the Stax legacy is a hard act to follow, so it had to be someone who came from the primordial source. William Bell is that person. An introspective soul singer who not only has the credentials, but most significant, has the voice. ~ James Nadal https://www.allaboutjazz.com/this-is-where-i-live-william-bell-stax-records-review-by-james-nadal.php

Personnel: William Bell: vocals; John Leventhal: guitars, electric bass, acoustic bass, keyboards, percussion, drums; Shawn Pelton: drums (3, 8); Dan Rieser: drums (2); Victor Jones: drums (4, 5); Rick DePofi: tenor sax, baritone sax; Tony Kadlek: trumpet, flugelhorn; Dave Eggar: cello; Entcho Todorov: violin, viola; Laura Seaton: violin; Amy Helm: backing vocals (11); Catherine Russell: vocals; Curtis King: vocals; Marc Cohn: vocals; D Train: vocals; Kenny Williams: vocals; Keith Fluitt: vocals; John Leventhal: vocals; Rick De Pofi: vocals.

This Is Where I Live

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William Bell - Coming Back For More

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:31
Size: 93,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:24)  1. Tryin' To Love Two
(6:14)  2. If Sex Was All We Had
(3:03)  3. Relax
(4:59)  4. You Don't Miss Your Water
(3:04)  5. Malnutrition
(3:11)  6. Coming Back For More
(6:00)  7. Just Another Way To Feel
(3:16)  8. I Absotively, Posolutely Love You
(3:47)  9. I Wake Up Cryin'
(3:28) 10. You've Really Got A Hold On Me

Despite the appropriate title, Comin' Back for More is not merely a comeback album for William Bell; it is arguably the artistic and commercial peak of his entire career. During the 1960s, Bell was perhaps best-known as a songwriter, although his recorded tenure at Stax yielded several minor R&B hits, most notably the Top Ten "I Forgot to Be Your Lover," which later became a slightly retitled pop hit for Billy Idol. After switching to Mercury in the mid-'70s, Bell seemed to re-emerge out of nowhere with Comin' Back for More. The single "Tryin' to Love Two" became his only R&B chart-topper as well as his lone Top Ten pop success. Although 1970s R&B was overflowing with odes to infidelity (i.e., Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones"), "Tryin' to Love Two" was one of the few promiscuous songs to address the consequences beyond getting caught and ending up alone. Besides the additional strain on his time and finances, Bell reveals the psychological cost of fooling around when he bemoans: "It started out had lots of fun/But now it's got me on the run/This jumping in and out of bed/Keeps messing with my head." Shifting seamlessly from ominous bass and staccato guitar to the sweet sounds of muted horns and female background vocals, "Tryin' to Love Two" is a perfect marriage of music and lyrics. "Relax" is nearly as good, combining an irresistible rhythm (patterned after Archie Bell & the Drells' "Tighten Up") with a loving supplication designed to ease the mind of his virginal sweetheart. Bell's emotional sincerity transforms the potentially smarmy seduction into a reassuringly romantic entreaty. More evidence of Bell's artistic maturity surfaces on the spiritually profound update of his 1962 single "You Don't Miss Your Water," which features the inspirational saxophone of Eli Fountain. The somber resignation of "Just Another Way to Feel" also benefits greatly from Fountain's extended soloing, and all of the musicians assembled by Bell and co-producer/arranger Paul Mitchell contribute uniformly excellent performances throughout the album. If the serviceable remake of Smokey Robinson's "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" seems like an anticlimactic finale, it's probably due to the high quality of the preceding originals. It's not easy to upstage a legendary songwriter like Robinson, yet Bell accomplishes that unlikely feat in welcome fashion on Comin' Back for More. ~ Vince Ripol https://www.allmusic.com/album/comin-back-for-more-mw0000176041

Personnel:  Producer – Paul Mitchell, William Bell; Bass – Eddie Watkins;  Drums – Quentin Dennard;  Guitar – Eddie Willis, Emmett Smith, Leroy Emmanuel;  Horns – Glenn Barbour, James Brown , James Hardy Patterson, Leo La Branche;  Keyboards – Mose Davis, Paul F. Mitchell;  Percussion – Barbara Huby;  Piano – Rudy Robinson;  Saxophone – Eli Fountain;  Synthesizer, Strings – Ted Stovall.

Coming Back For More

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