Jessie Hill
Naturally
***and1/2 out of *****
For their newest vinyl release, the fantastic Tipitina's Record Club delivers a reissue of Jessie Hill's 1971 solo album, Naturally. The purple vinyl reissue includes the original innovative gatefold cover design, which included a rotating wheel.
The New Orleans based Hill who wrote songs for/with Dr. John and Ike and Tina Turner (also the future grandfather of Trombone Shorty himself) rose to prominence with the hit "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" about ten years before this album. Naturally was originally released in 1971 and proved to be a final hurrah for Hill on Blue Thumb Records. While no info is contained on the musicians joining Hill, the funky soul that drips out, feels directly from the Crescent City itself.
After a theatrical introduction, the flow gets funky as great horn work arrives with the title track which kicks up midway through delivering an upbeat, dance ready groove. Those punchy horns and driving beats stick around for "I Dig You" while "Oh Yeah" sounds derivative of other funk numbers of the era, but still holds its own.
Hill revs up his vocals on the soul ballad "Living A Lie" which digs deep and closes the A side with emotional singing. The B side starts the funk back up via a slinky groove that showcases excellent trumpet blasts before the wah-wah guitar leads the soul burner "Light In My Eyes" and the upbeat bumper "I Studied Soul".
The two finale tracks are both winners in different directions. "I've Been Hurt" is a classic soul duet between Hill and an unnamed female singer that feels very of the early 60's era while "Two of a Kind" looks forward. "Two of a Kind" opens with blaring horns, funky cinematic guitars, and deep bass and drums. The only downside is that this awesome music finds Hill almost being drowned out by the sound as he delivers his weakest singing on the musically impressive offering.
Like with quite a few TRC vinyl releases that showcase lesser known artists, Jessie Hill's Naturally is a great revisiting of a long lost funky soul record that cooks and never got the proper love upon its initial release.
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