There is a certain weary, desperate edge to 's voice that makes every song he sings feel like a plea for personal redemption, and no singer better bridges the thematic connections between soul and country than this man, who managed to bring Memphis to Nashville, then trucked both off to Philadelphia. Collects his biggest hits from the 1960s with some earlier sides and some later disco-era tracks to form a decent introduction to this underrated singer. Highlights include the early hit 'Nine Pound Steel,' the perfect merging of both soul and country concerns (and they really hardly differ) on '(You Keep Me) Hangin' On,' the definitive version of 's 'The Chokin' Kind,' and the ominous and gorgeous 'Drowning in the Sea of Love,' which was produced in Philadelphia by and.
Even the excursion into disco found here, 'Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor),' is as much country gospel as it is an urban dance track. Throughout sounds sad, weary, desperate, beaten up by love, yet resolute and oddly hopeful, like the man you meet at the bar who has been through hell but is sure brighter days are coming, even if there is little evidence for it. The Rhino anthology is still probably the place to start with, but makes a competent substitute.
Joe Simon’s Drowning in the Sea of Love is still a classic to me. I still love that title song and its lazy feel in the groove. Some other surprises I love are the dramatic, bluesy, The Mirror Don’t Lie, the funky Ole Night Owl and the gorgeous Something You Can Do Today.
Joe Simon Drowning In The Sea Of Love Rar
This is really Joe Simon’s best album to me and could rival any of Otis Redding’s albums for the male soul singer title. It is addictive, catchy, musical, and wonderfully performed. Simon sings like he’s lived it in these songs, as if he wrote the songs himself!
One of my all-time favourite albums! In his impressive career, Simon began by crooning honey-touched ballads, went on to help establish the genre of country-soul (and remains one of the few true, great country-soul singers), segued over into R&B, and then saw his career descend too quickly after a groundbreaking (but ill-fated) movement to disco. “Drowning in the Sea of Love” was Simon’s most cohesive album, though still very eclectic in presentation. The title track was pure Philly sound, an early Gamble-Huff production that paid off with a #3 spot on the Billboard R&B charts. “ I Found My Dad” is an interesting deaprture from the rest of the album, and it remains catchy and rousing. “ Pool of Bad Luck” continues the quintessential funky groove, and on “ If“, Simon’s plaintive baritone soars.
However, my personal favorite track is Simon’s cover of the Stylistics’ (smash from the year before) “ You Are Everything“. Simon’s version features a dramatically different arrangement, and what you are left with is the song stripped bare, and Simon’s voice, low and contained early on, building to an eruption of longing and passion. The song is imbued with such feeling that I cannot listen to it without getting caught up.
And let’s just say I’ve listened to it many, many times if you want to hear an solid album by one of the best (and sadly overlooked) R&B singers while at his peak, pick up “Drowning in the Sea of Love”.