Chuck Jackson

Chuck Jackson's 1966 album Tribute to Rhythm and Blues -- in which the smooth soul stylist allowed a gruffer side to come to the surface on a set of covers cut live in the studio with his road band -- was enough of a success to merit a follow-up, and Tribute to Rhythm and Blues, Vol. 2 followed later the same year. By most accounts, Jackson and his band didn't have to make another trip to the studio for this to happen, as Vol. 2 was apparently stitched together from material recorded for the first album that didn't make the cut. These performances hardly sound like leftovers or rejects, though -- Jackson's passionate version of "Sunny" shreds Bobby Hebb's original, the opening medley is nightclub showmanship at its best, "634-5789" gets a moving romantic undercurrent that sets it apart from Wilson Pickett's original, and "Blowin' in the Wind" is as idiosyncratic a Dylan cover as you'll ever hear. While Bobby Scott's band may lack some of the polish of the session cats who usually backed Jackson in the studio, they sound tight and committed on these recordings, with the cohesion that comes from playing together on the road for a few years, and Jackson is both comfortable and energized working with them. A great album that, along with the first volume, ranks with the very best music Chuck Jackson ever committed to tape. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide