Arthur Conley - Sweet Soul Music (2016)

Arthur Conley sang and (with mentor Otis Redding) co-wrote the 1967 classic "Sweet Soul Music," arguably the finest record ever made about the genre it celebrates. Conley was just 12 years old when he joined the Evening Smiles, a gospel group that appeared regularly on local radio station WAOK. By 1963 he was leading his own R&B outfit, Arthur & the Corvets, which over the next two years issued three singles – "Poor Girl," "I Believe," and "Flossie Mae" for the Atlanta label National Recording Company. Despite Conley's graceful yet powerful vocals (which owed an immense debt to his idol, Sam Cooke), the NRC singles earned little attention, and he dissolved the group to mount a solo career, releasing "I'm a Lonely Stranger" on the Ru-Jac label in late 1964. Label owner Rufus Mitchell then passed a copy of the single to soul shouter Redding, who was so impressed he invited Conley to re-record the song at Memphis' Stax Studios. With Jim Stewart assuming production duties, the recut "I'm a Stranger" hit retail in the fall of 1965, and was just the second single to appear on Redding's fledgling Jotis imprint. Conley's "Who's Foolin' Who" followed in early 1966, and proved the fourth and final Jotis effort.

Tracklist:

01. Sweet Soul Music
02. Funky Street
03. I Got a Feeling
04. You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy
05. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
06. Shake, Rattle & Roll
07. Burning Fire
08. One Night Is All I Need
09. A Change Is Gonna Come
10. Hearsay
11. I'm Gonna Forget About You
12. I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop New)
13. This Love of Mine
14. Put Our Love Together
15. Otis Sleep on
16. Baby What You Want Me to Do
17. Hand In Glove
18. Ha! Ha! Ha!
19. Run on
20. I'll Take the Blame
21. Is That You Love
22. I Can't Stop (No, No, No)
23. Love Got Me
24. Keep on Talking
25. People Sure Act Funny
26. Love Comes and Goes
27. Shing-A-Ling
28. Wholesale Love
29. Stuff You Gotta Watch
30. Take Me (Just As I Am)
31. There's a Place For Us
32. Where You Lead Me
33. Take a Step
34. Get Yourself Another Fool