BOOKER T JONES & THE ROOTS – THE ROAD FROM MEMPHIS

After a fairly bizarre return from dormancy with 2009’s Potato Hole, featuring the unlikely and bland Drive By Truckers as his backing band, Jones has struck a dusty Hammond chord with soul fanatics everywhere with the fantasy collaboration on The Road From Memphis. Backed by a three piece incarnation of The Roots (?uestlove, Captain Kirk and Owen Biddle) and engineered by Gabe Roth (the producer, engineer and bandleader behind the revivalist Daptone label), the Stax records legend and Rolling Stones favourite is in good hands here. Guest vocalist features with the likes of Matt Derninger and Sharon Jones are cushioned by a handsome collection of rhythm section instrumentals in the original MGs style, albeit sounding more like their New Orleans contemporaries The Meters than the old Cropper, Dunne and Jackson line up of their Green Onions beginnings. Rent Party stands out as a slick marriage between the respective versions of R’n’B that both Jones and The Roots have mastered, with the very choppy The Hive taking both parties to new territory all together. Keeping with tradition, Jones helps himself to a couple of contemporary covers in the form of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy and Lauren Hill’s Everything is Everything – both wildly fun. A late surprise comes in The Bronx, where a tastefully sparse Lou Reed rambles a few concise gems over the slow soul ballad. What a treat!

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