Soul-stirring stuff from Neville

Shane Gilchrist presents a special Summer Times selection of albums worth exploring.

Today: New Orleans singer Aaron Neville delves into his bag of gospel tricks on I Know I've Been Changed.

Who: A member of longstanding (and outstanding) New Orleans quartet the Neville Brothers, Aaron Neville has also enjoyed enduring success as a solo artist: his first big single, 1967's Tell It Like It Is, set the bar for a career which has seen Grammies, gold records and festival appearances around the globe.

About the album: On this 12-song collection of soul-stirring gospel, producer Joe Henry shrewdly adopts a stripped-back approach designed to keep focus on the vocal dexterity and depth of veteran New Orleans performer Aaron Neville as well as the interplay between him and a choir that, despite numbering just four, somehow manages to sound like a horde of Baptist belters.

Significant, too, is the contribution of acclaimed pianist and songwriter Allen Toussaint, who leads an accomplished band through material made more joyous by their playing.

Highlight: Meetin' At The Building.

For those who like: Aretha Franklin, Leon Russell.

 

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