In the late '60s and early '70s, country and soul music intermingled in ways that have been discussed in book-length treatments like Charles Hughes's ‘Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South'. Being based in Bakersfield, Merle Haggard wasn't really a participant in that–this was took place in Memphis and in northern Alabama.
The mark of a great song, though, is its universality. If you look closely at a lot of Hag's songs, you'll see they're written in a way they can fit almost any character, almost any performer. Eli “Paperboy” Reed's new album, ‘Down Every Road', recasts these classic tunes in a retro-soul style. Though Reed himself is white–and from Massachussetts, not the South – this is being done in a distinctly Black style of music. And it works. It works quite well.
Reed's song choices here are strong. Leading off with ‘Mama Tried' is perfect. If you divorce the lyrics from the songwriter, this is a song that works equally for all kinds of personas. It's not just what's here that makes sense; it's also what isn't. There are entries in the Hag canon that raise question about some of his views, and some of those songs would at the very least not make sense, and would even be in poor taste, in the context of this project. Reed's a sharp guy, and he shows a canny sense of what songs work here and, by omission, which don't.
The strength of Hag's songs is the lyrics, and Reed makes sure to keep the lyrics and the vocals clear and up front. The instrumentation is there to help paint an emotional backdrop, but it it is, correctly, second to his voice. The instrumentation wisely comes down in relation to his vocal parts so as not to interfere with his clear phrasing. This is not an album where you're ever going to wonder, “What did that guy just sing?” A lot of bands and artists could take a lesson here about not letting their instrumentation get in the way of the vocals.
The vocals here are extremely well done, and there's a range of different soul styles evoked. As he goes from song to song, you can hear Reed working in the styles of James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Chuck Jackson, Major Lance, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson.
The album's closing track, ‘Today I Started Loving You Again', notably features a duet with Sabine McCalla, a Black singer-songwriter from New Orleans. It's significant given that a duet between Buck Owens and soul singer Betty Swan was recorded, but never released. It's a fitting capstone to an excellent album for Reed to finally give this song the release it deserves.
It's hard to go wrong with Hag, and Reed didn't blow it. With a strong backbone of songs and dynamite vocal performances by Eli “Paperboy” Reed, ‘Down Every Road' is a creative, bold reinterpretation of country's greatest songwriter in an entirely different style–soul music–that feels like it was meant to be.
Track list: 1. Mama Tried 2. I'm Bringing Home Good News 3. Somewhere Between 4. Team Me to Forget (feat. Sabine McCalla) 5. It's Not Love, but it's Not Bad 6. If We Make It Through December 7. Silver Wings 8. I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can 9. I'm a Lonesome Fugitive 10. One Sweet Hello 11. Workin' Man Blues 12. Today I Started Loving You Again (feat. Sabine McCalla) Record label: Yep Roc Records Release date: 29th April 2022 Buy ‘Down Every Road' now
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