Don’t Give Up On Me
Solomon Burke
(2002) Epitaph Records
Even though I’ve loved soul and R & B for as long as I can remember I have to sheepishly admit that I first learned about Solomon Burke while watching an episode of House, M.D. Burke’s song “None of Us Are Free” was featured in an episode of House, and then I was happy enough to find the song on the American Blues CD. But I loved the song and the sound of Burke’s voice so much that I wanted to hear more by him, and it was only in looking up his CDs on amazon.com that I realized that Burke was a 60s soul sensation along the lines of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. The self-proclaimed “King of Rock and Soul,” Burke has a deep, smooth, emotion-filled voice that sounds more bluesy in some songs, more country in others, and in some songs it’s all soul and R & B. Don't Give Up On Me, released in 2002, was Burke's comeback CD, and come back he did in strong style and in great voice. This is the CD that brought us the amazing, gospel-inspired vibe of “None of Us Are Free,” and “Fast Train” and “Soul Searchin’” are also strong tracks. In fact, the entire CD works, as it should with stellar songwriting contributors such as Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits.
Whether you are a Solomon Burke fan from way back when or you’ve just found him recently as I have, Don’t Give Up On Me is one of the best soul CDs you’ll hear. And now I’m on the quest to listen to some of Burke’s earlier music as well. I don't know how I missed him.