Otis Redding
Otis Redding, the king of soul
blues died in an airplane crash in December of last year. Otis had a
wonderful voice, deep and rustic sounding, like the voice of an old man
from the country. Most of his songs, from his debut song “These Arms of
Mine” to his posthumously released “Dock of the Day”, were slow,
difficult to sing songs. But Otis was able to make these songs his own
and sing them beautifully. He had a voice that was hard to get into at
first but after a few listens you found yourself madly in love with his
songs. Although they all seemed to be slow tempo, his dynamic shouts
really shook you. He had incredible vocal power. When he sang The
Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” he gave it his own unique flavor and the
song was completely reborn. Standard songs such as “My Girl” and “Your
Precious Love” were also beautifully interpreted. Besides being famous
as a singer, Otis was also well known as a songwriter. He composed the
song “Respect” in collaboration with Aretha Franklin and also penned the
Arthur Conley tune “Let’s Go Soul”. He also wrote many other slow R&B
ballads and was active as a producer. What a shame to loose such an
extraordinarily talented person so suddenly in such an unfortunate
accident. Otis was truly unique. Let us all applaud his wonderful
achievements.
Arthur Conley
Arthur Conley is well known for the song “Sweet Soul Music”. Although I
only own three of his records, that’s about all that is available to
fans here in Japan. However, with the passing away of Otis, I hope that
Arthur receives more recognition as one of the top Atlantic style R&B
singers. His voice is generally thought to be a little thin but that
probably can’t be helped, as he’s not a big man. But as a soulful singer
he has a wonderful voice, whether it be a slow tempo or fast tempo song.
Just listen to “Whole Lotta Woman”. This song will totally excite you.
Or the B-side of that record, ‘Love Comes and Goes’ or the tune ‘Let’s
Go Steady’. Don’t these remind you a little of Otis? However it would be
a mistake to want Arthur to sound like Otis. He has his own unique style
and I’m sure he will continue to sing beautifully in the way that suits
his voice. I would like to add these words to what surely is a bright
future ahead for Arthur Conley: Move over Otis Redding!
