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We have the East/West Japan label to thank for the long-overdue reissue of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends' Motel Shot, an album that anticipated the unplugged phenomenon and Americana radio format by at least 20 years.
This project, which brought together a handful of enormously talented musicians in an informal studio setting, is reminiscent of the legendary Million Dollar Quartet tapes that document impromptu trio performances by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
This is clearly Delaney's show; his musical fingerprints are everywhere. The program ranges from casual to feverish renditions of gospel standards ("Will the Circle Be Unbroken," and "Where the Soul Never Dies"), blues classics ("Come on in My Kitchen" and "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad"), soul- and country-flavored originals ("Never Ending Song of Love" and "Lonesome and a Long Way from Home") and a heartbreaking rendition of the Bob Wills standard, "Faded Love."
Like Irma Thomas before her, Bonnie Sheridan legitimizes the art of singing flat. And I'd almost forgotten how inspired piano man Leon Russell can be when his ego is held in check. Rounding out the supporting cast are Joe Cocker, Duane Allman, Dave Mason, Bobby Whitlock, John Hartford, Carl Radle and Jim Keltner, all of whom leave their mark on this enduring celebration of American roots music. |
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