7/1/2004

David Freeland

The opening track, "Coming Home Baby," really captures it all: a funereal solo on the Hammond organ is soon broken up by heavy percussion (that classic Memphis backbeat urging you to move), before razor-sharp horns jump in, adding just the right amount of soul swagger. From there, the infectious atmosphere rarely lets up over the course of 10 exhilarating songs. Scott Bomar (a youngster in his late 20s) has put the Bo-Keys together using top Memphis session players such as organist Ronnie Williams and drummer Willie Hall, and the professionalism shows. Masterfully timed, numbers such as "Spanish Delight" recall the precision of Booker T. & the MGs, while the CD’s rich sound (it was recorded at Willie Mitchell’s legendary Royal Studios) adds dramatic heft. Best of all is the elegiac "I Remember Stax," structured around a forlorn-sounding guitar and plaintive organ. With its sad beauty, the song reminds us of what we lost with the demise of Stax, but, more importantly, revels in what we still have.