Description
William Bell has always eschewed routine romantic cliches, bringing a unique viewpoint to soul classics such as “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and “Private Number”, his 1968 hit duet with Judy Clay. This excellent new album, his first in a decade, continues in like manner with songs like “The House Always Wins” (love as a risky gamble), “Poison In The Well” (love as a poisoned chalice), and the thoughtful “The Three Of Me” (“the man I was, the man I am, and the man I want to be”). Elsewhere, there’s a suitably chastened version of his classic “Born Under A Bad Sign”, while “Mississippi-Arkansas Bridge” brings an “Ode To Billie Joe” mood to the tale of an inter-state tryst. It’s all delivered with welcoming warmth and humility, over impeccably buttoned-down soul-funk grooves.
