Sam Cooke--Smooth as Silk

Like so many black singers of his generation, Sam Cooke got his start singing gospel music--his group, The Soul Stirrers were together from 1951 until 1957, and were a huge success in the field of gospel music. When Sam Cooke made the change to the pop and soul world, his singing was marked by the style that he learned while singing gospel music--his clear, dulcet voice and his emotive style of music translated into a smooth, peaceful sound that made him famous. Until his untimely death in 1964, his singing talents and considerable songwriting skills made him extremely popular with people of all races and ages.

The Rhythm And The Blues is not a greatest hits collection--in fact, most people will recognize only a few titles from this twenty song album. This collection emphasizes one of the strengths of Sam Cooke--his uncanny ability to interpret the musical works of other performers. Despite the fact that Sam Cooke was a prolific songwriter, only two of his songs show up here--the beautiful Nothing Can Change This Love and One More Time, featuring a big orchestra backing his smooth, silky vocals. His best known songs are missing--You Send Me, Win Your Love For Me, Only Sixteen, and Wonderful World are all left for another day in favor of more obscure songs that show the versatility of this magnificent vocalist.

Highlights Of This Album

Little Girl Blue, But Not For Me and Out In The Cold Again are show tune classics that were originally performed by artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, and Dina Washington. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out, Baby Won't You Please Come Home, and Trouble In Mind are all classics that were popular in the 1920's and 1930's--Sam Cooke's stirring interpretation of these numbers proves that he had a handle on the secrets of the old masters, and reflects the influence that this sort of music must have had on him in his youth.

Perhaps the most delightful track in this collection is Little Red Rooster, bluesman Wille Dixon's song about sexuality written at a time when such things weren't talked about openly. Sam Cooke puts an innocent spin on the song that is diametrically different than the hip, cocky version performed by Chester Burnett. The album notes reflect that a young, talented keyboardist named Billy Preston performed on this track--he later went on to be the "Fifth Beatle", recording with The Beatles at the end of the band's career.

The insert that accompanies this CD has some good biographical information about Sam Cooke, and contains some pretty perceptive discussion about the tracks on this collection.

If you listen to this album, you might see why I believe that Sam Cooke was the prototype for later singers like Teddy Pendergrass and Peabo Bryson. It just seems to me that his style and use of the orchestra sort of paved the way for the smooth, sophisticated performers of later years. Whether you buy into that idea or not is not important--just listen to this collection to hear one of the true talents of our generation.

Thanks for reading.