Aaron Neville
Bring It On Home: The Soul Classics
Burgundy
My love of Aaron’s catalog stretches back to his first burst of regional fame with the darkly fascinating and threatening “Over You” from the early ’60s. Aaron is most certainly a uniquely gifted performer and national treasure who has always brought something special to anything he touched.
This one doesn’t work for me though. Even with a strong list of supporting artists, it’s really too much of a reach for even Aaron. Covering a classic here and there has worked before, but to take on this many legends of soul at one time invites too many comparisons and unfortunately, in this case, it even invites comparisons with his own earlier – and often better – live treatments of a few of these songs. This just doesn’t have the majesty that I have come to expect from Aaron. Aaron needs to stick with a producer who “gets” him and I don’t really think that Stewart Levine does.
Pick just about anything else from Aaron’s catalog and you’ll fall in love with it. Leave this one for the completists.
Aaron Neville: http://www.aaronneville.com
