Tad Robinson — “Soul in Blue” — Delmark Records
Grits may very well be groceries, according to Little Willie John, but they are also one of the primary ingredients in that nourishment for the soul served up as sweet soul music.
That thought came to mind while I was listening to soulman Tad Robinson’s latest album, the effervescent “Soul in Blue.” On these ten smartly crafted tracks, Robinson digs deep with passionately gritty vocals, shouting, moaning and caressing his blues. It’s exactly that grit that makes it all work — Robinson’s voice is smoky, well-aged whiskey, smooth and sharp as the song demands, with an occasional shot of spine-tingling falsetto.
And the demands here are simple: Rip the musical pain from his soul and pour it into yours.
It all begins with the original “Keep It in the Vault,” as Robinson’s harp-fueled intro eases into a slow rocking blues that sets the stage for what follows. What’s next is an achingly mournful lost-love ballad, also original, “Out of Sight Out of Mind,” and a tearful vocal turn on the melancholy tale.
“Somewhere There’s a Train” rolls in with a more optimistic song, waiting for his lady to get their plans on track, highlighted by a hopeful Roosevelt Purifoy Jr. organ solo. “(I’m) Down to My Last Heartbreak,” a Wilson Pickett chestnut, adds a little funk to Robinson’s soulful cover. “Deeper Than You Think” is another gentle ballad, powered by a silky smooth vocal, a majestic Purifoy organ break, building into a breathtaking falsetto finale. “It’s Private Tonight,” by prolific songwriter Arthur Adams, is another slow-driving soul-blues full of heartache and longing: “I don’t wanna hold nobody but my baby tonight.”
“Keep You Heart Open for Love” opens with funky backbeat, sharp guitar and a message summed up by its title. “Up in the Air” adds a restless harp intro and solo to this upbeat original: “Everything made is up in the air except for you and me.”
“Forgive and Forget” is a gritty pleading for forgiveness: “If you decide to come back home, I’ll be waiting there for you …. love me baby like I love you.” The original closer, “This Time,” is another gorgeous ballad, filled with sensuous anticipation of a new love, swept along on a beautiful melody amidst a tapestry of backup vocals.
Tad Robinson is not a newcomer. He recorded for Delmark in the 1990s, became a regular on the blues circuit in the U.S. and in Europe, and has collected two W.C. Handy Award nominations and eight Blues Music Award nominations. It’s been six years since Robinson’s Blues Music Award-nominated “Real Street,” and the “Soul in Blue” is waiting in the wings as another award-quality session.
It’s a tribute to Robinson’s personal and musical grit that he’s still pouring music from his soul into ours. And that makes “Soul in Blue” some of the tastiest soul food groceries on your plate.
Here’s an interview with Tad Robinson by Michael Limnios of Blues GR
Here’s “Keep Your Heart Open for Love”
Tracks and credits:
➊ KEEP IT IN THE VAULT 4:47
Tad Robinson (Robinworks Music, BMI)
➋ OUT OF SIGHT AND OUT OF MIND 5:14
Tad Robinson, John P. Bean, Alberto Marsico
(Robinworks Music, BMI; Quarter Sawn Music, ASCAP)
➌ SOMEWHERE THERE’S A TRAIN 3:52
Tad Robinson, Alberto Marsico (Robinworks Music, BMI)
➍ (I’M) DOWN TO MY LAST HEARTBREAK 3:49
Di Fosco T. Ervin Jr. , James B. Willingham Jr.
(Screen Gems – EMI Music, BMI)
➎ DEEPER THAN YOU THINK 4:56
Steve Gomes, Tad Robinson, Kevin Anker (Gomesong Music, BMI)
➏ IT’S PRIVATE TONIGHT 4:07
Adams, Arthur K. (Stone Agate Music, BMI)
➐ KEEP YOUR HEART OPEN FOR LOVE 4:39
Tad Robinson (Robinworks Music, BMI)
➑ UP IN THE AIR 3:07
Tad Robinson, Steve Gomes
(Robinworks Music, BMI; Gomesong Music, BMI)
➒ FORGIVE AND FORGET 4:02
Tad Robinson (Robinworks Music, BMI)
➓ THIS TIME 3:51
Tad Robinson (Robinworks Music, BMI)
TAD ROBINSON vocals and harmonica (ALL TRACKS)
KEVIN ANKER keyboards (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10)
PAUL HOLDMAN guitar (1, 2, 5, 8, 9)
BRIAN YARDE drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9)
DAVID MURRAY bass (1, 9)
THE DELMARK ALL-STARS
ROOSEVELT PURIFOY JR. organ (4, 6, 7, 10)
POOKY STYX drums (4, 6, 7, 10)
LARRY WILLIAMS bass (4, 6, 7, 10)
CARLOS SHOWERS guitar (4, 6, 10)
MIKE WHEELER guitar (4, 6, 10)
SPECIAL GUESTS
ALBERTO MARSICO keyboards (2, 3)
STEVE GOMES bass (5, 8)
DAVE SPECTER guitar (7)
ALEX SCHULTZ guitar, bass (3)
TOMI LEINO lead guitar (1)
CHRIS VITARELLO rhythm guitar (2)
MARK BUSELLI trumpet (5)
RICH COHEN tenor saxophone (5)
BRANDON MEEKS bass (2)
GERALDO DE OLIVEIRA congas (10)
DEVIN B. THOMPSON background vocals (2)
LORIE SMITH background vocals (2)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION AND SUPERVISION: Julia A. Miller AND Elbio Barilari
Blues Roadhouse 