Booker T. & The MG's: Soul Men (Stax)
Booker T. & The MG's/The Mar-Keys: Stax instrumentals (Stax)

 In the the nine years of their existence the mighty unit known as Booker T. & The MG's laid the foundation for some of the greatest soul music of the 60's. The Mg's put down some of the tightest, groove heavy records of the era as the house band for the legendary Stax Records. Their impeccable grooves can be heard on classic hits by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Albert King, Sam & Dave and numerous others. The instrumental records they issued under their own name were perhaps even more impressive cutting classics like "Green Onions," "Time Is Tight," and "Hang 'em High." The Mg's issued eight albums during their heyday and now over three decades later comes "Soul Men" a collection of 25 unissued gems, making this their unofficial ninth album.

 It's not really surprising that there should be so much unreleased material by a group as prolific as the Mg's As Steve Cropper explains: "Somebody'd get an idea and we'd be through with the artists and have an hour left of studio time and we'd throw one of these things down. ...In three or four minutes we'd have it worked up and we'd make a tape and BOOM it went on the shelf. A lot of that didn't get used." The 25 unissued tracks here hold together surprisingly well as the band applies their soulful sound to a diverse mix of tunes such as "Hi-Heel Sneakers", "Wang Dang Doodle" and "Raunchy." Some of the best numbers are versions of Stax hits where they were the backing band, essentially covering themselves on stellar versions of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" and "Eddie Floyd's "On a Saturday Night."

 While the MG's defined the Stax sound the honor of establishing that sound goes to the Mar-Keys best known for the classic platter "Late night" in 1961. While the Mar-Keys never achieved the level of success of the MG's they issued a batch of classic Memphis soul records like "Pop-Eye Stroll," "The Morning After," and "Philly Dog." And as the MG's would do later, acted as the house band in the early days when the label was called Satellite staying on board for the name change to Stax. In 1962 Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn left to form the MG's. "Stax Instrumentals" collects a fine batch of outakes and unissued sides by both bands recorded during the 60's.

 The Mar-Keys consisted on record of Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, trumpeter Wayne Jackson, Al Jackson on drums, Floyd Newman, Gilbert Caple, Andrew love (starting in 64') on saxes, Lewie Steiberg on bass and a revolving trio of keyboardists including Booker T. Jones, Issac Hayes or Marvell Thomas. Compared to the MG's the Mar-Keys had a looser more frantic party sound heard to perfection on infectious numbers like "Raw Hide", "Gigglin'" and the hard charging "The Floyd" a showcase for Floyd Newman's baritone. The MG's are in typically fine form particularly on the slinky "Slidin'", the infectious "Put A Label On It" with vocal yelps from David Porter and the easygoing lope of "Consumption" are just a few highlights.

 Dedicated soul fans will certainly want to snap up both of this entertaining collections which in addition to the great music have particularly lengthy and well written liner notes. First timers however may do better to pick up Rhino's "The Very Best of Booker T. & the MG's" and the Mar-Keys "Last Night!/Do the Pop-Eye" on Stax which collects the group's first two records on one CD.

Kenny Brown: Stingray (Fat Possum)

 Kenny Brown is a bluesman through and through having paid his dues under the tutelage of Mississippi legends such as Joe Callicot, Fred McDowell and currently with R.L. Burnside. Brown proves those lessons have paid off on "Stingray" a lean, tough slab of Mississippi blues.

 It was the sadly under-recorded north Mississippi bluesman Joe Callicot who was the first musician to take Brown under his wing. At ten, Brown was playing with Callicot after school everyday and by eighteen, he had also apprenticed with Mississippi Fred McDowell and his sometimes partner Johnny Woods. He eventually hooked up with R.L. Burnside where he's remained for twenty-five years and his edgy slide work can be heard on all of Burnside's Fat Possum records. With that kind of resume it should be no surprise that "Stingray" really cooks with a deep, low-down Mississippi groove.

 Brown has assembled a skintight band for this outing including Takeeshi Imura on bass and phenomenal drumming from Cedric Burnside (R.L.'s son) who's played next to Brown for some fourteen years in his father's group. Like R.L. Burnside, Brown mines the hypnotic, trance-like music of the Mississippi Hill country heard to good effect on the sneering "If Down Was Up", "France Chance", a funky version of "Shake Em' On Down", "Goin' Down South" and a blistering, electrifying version of Burnside's "Miss Maybelle" featuring some stunning slide playing. Brown also pays tribute to his first mentor, Joe Callicot, on a trio of fine solo guitar numbers in "You Don't Know My Mind", "Lonesome Katy Blues" and "Fare Thee Well Blues." "Cocaine Bill" is also played solo and is a fine rendition of this traditional song. Throughout Brown lays down some wonderfully raw slide, a good match for his expressive world weary vocals.

 Kenny Brown has absorbed the Mississippi blues through and through and "Stingray" offers up the proof. Those familiar with R.L. Burnside and the Mississippi All-Stars would do well to check out Kenny Brown

(Jeff Harris)