Johnnie Taylor - One Step From The Blues
Vocal - Johnnie Taylor
Written by Johnnie Taylor
1 LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master Tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record Color: Black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12"
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Concord Craft Recordings / Stax
Original Label : Concord Craft Recordings / Stax
Mastered by Joe Tarantino
Liner Notes by Memphis Journalist Andria Lisle
Originally released 2024
Tracks:
Side A:
- Steal Away
- I Had a Dream
- I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
- Part Time Love
- Cheaper to Keep Her
- Separation Line
Side B:
- Doing My Own Thing, Pt. 1
- Somebody's Sleeping in My Bed
- That's Where It's At
- Stop Doggin' Me
- Save Your Love for Me
- Woman Across the River
Reviews:
Latest release from Craft Recordings – a re-issue label known for its meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation – turns the spotlight on a real soul legend.
Johnnie Taylor was the archetypal Southern soul singer but, oddly maybe, he’s best known in the mainstream for his hit ‘Disco Lady’. Real soul fans, though, know that there was a whole lot more to JT than that one song! Born in Arkansas in 1934, Taylor grew up steeped in the sounds of blues and gospel. Indeed his first forays into the music biz was via gospel – working first with the Highway QCs before taking Sam Cooke’s place in the legendary Soul Stirrers. But, after embracing the “Devils music”, it’s Taylor’s time at Stax that really made him a soul hero with his classic ‘Who’s Making Love’ acknowledged as one of the Memphis label’s landmark tracks.
Over the years, there have been any number of reissues of Taylor’s Stax output, but this new Craft release is a little different. You see, as the album title hints, it focuses on the bluesier side of the singer’s catalogue. Here you can enjoy a dozen heart-breaking songs all telling the familiar story of passion and betrayal delivered in that wonderful, old school soul voice supported by the cream of the Memphis soul session team.
Amongst the 12 tracks is Taylor’s debut single for Stax, ‘I Had a Dream’. Sparse and intense it sets the tone for the collection. You can also enjoy a version of the oft-recorded ‘Steal Away’, the cheeky ‘Cheaper to Keep Her’ (great advice if you’re thinking of divorce!), the gut bucket blues of ‘Doing My Own Thing’, an almost jaunty cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘That’s Where It’s At’ and a whole lot more.