Memphis (Boz Scaggs album)
Memphis is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Boz Scaggs. It was Scaggs's first solo release since 2008's Speak Low. The album was released on March 5, 2013, by 429 Records.[1] The album has debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 17,[2] and has sold 90,000 copies in the US as of March 2015.[3]
Memphis | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 5, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Studio | Royal Studios, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Blues, rock, rhythm and blues | |||
Length | 47:30 (standard edition) | |||
Label | 429 Records | |||
Producer | Steve Jordan | |||
Boz Scaggs chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album a positive review with 4 of 5 stars, describing the record as "a stunner. Scaggs is in full possession of that iconic voice; he delivers songs with an endemic empathy and intimacy that make them sound like living, breathing stories."[4]
Track listing
Most of the songs on the album are cover versions of songs previously released by other artists. Where applicable, the original artists who first released those songs are identified in the table below.
A two-disc version of the album was released for exclusive distribution by Barnes & Noble in the United States.[5] The second disc contains six demos, three of which were recorded as fully produced versions for the final release of the album and three of which were not.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Gone Baby Gone" | Boz Scaggs | Initial release | 3:36 |
2. | "So Good to be Here" | Michael Allen, Al Green | Al Green | 3:15 |
3. | "Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl" | Willy DeVille | Mink DeVille | 3:44 |
4. | "Rainy Night in Georgia" | Tony Joe White | Tony Joe White | 4:34 |
5. | "Love on a Two Way Street" | BB Keys, Sylvia Robinson | Lezli Valentine | 3:36 |
6. | "Pearl of the Quarter" | Walter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | 3:28 |
7. | "Cadillac Walk" | Moon Martin | Moon Martin | 4:27 |
8. | "Corrina, Corrina" | Traditional | Bo Carter | 3:45 |
9. | "Can I Change My Mind" | Barry Despenza, Carl Wolfolk | Tyrone Davis | 4:19 |
10. | "Dry Spell" | Jack Walroth | Initial release | 3:24 |
11. | "You Got Me Cryin'" | Ewart Abner, Jimmy Reed | Jimmy Reed | 4:55 |
12. | "Sunny Gone" | Boz Scaggs | Initial release | 4:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Cadillac Walk" (Demo) | Moon Martin | Moon Martin | |
2. | "I ain't Got You" (Demo) | Calvin Carter | Billy Boy Arnold | |
3. | "Dry Spell" (Demo) | Jack Walroth | Initial release | |
4. | "Educated Fool" (Demo) | Jack Walroth | Initial release | |
5. | "Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl" (Demo) | Willy DeVille | Mink DeVille | |
6. | "It Takes a Lot to Laugh" (Demo) | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan |
Personnel
- Boz Scaggs – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar (1-8, 10, 12), electric guitar (1-8, 10, 12), guitar (11)
- Ray Parker Jr. – acoustic guitar (1-8, 10, 12), electric guitar (1-8, 10, 12)
- Eddie Willis – guitar (9)
- Keb' Mo' – slide dobro (10)
- Rick Vito – guitar (11)
- Jim Cox – Rhodes (1, 5), acoustic piano (3, 5, 6, 7, 12), Wurlitzer electric piano (6), organ (12)
- Charles Hodges – organ (2, 5, 6, 9), Wurlitzer electric piano (4)
- Lester Snell – Wurlitzer electric piano (2, 9), string arrangements (2, 6), horn arrangements (6)
- Spooner Oldham – Wurlitzer electric piano (3, 5, 8, 10), acoustic piano (4), organ (4)
- Charlie Musselwhite – harmonica (10)
- Willie Weeks – bass guitar (1-10, 12, upright bass (2, 4, 6)
- David Hungate – bass guitar (11)
- Steve Jordan – drums (1-10, 12), percussion (1-10, 12), horn arrangements (2), string arrangements (4), backing vocals
- Shannon Forrest – drums (11)
- Jack Ashford – vibraphone (5)
- Jim Horn – baritone saxophone (2, 6)
- Lannie McMillan – tenor saxophone (2, 6)
- Jack Hale – trombone (2, 6)
- Ben Cauley – trumpet (2, 6)
- Willie Mitchell – string arrangements (2)
- Jonathan Kirkscey – cello (2, 4, 6)
- Mark Wallace – cello (2, 4, 6)
- Beth Luscome – viola (2, 4, 6)
- Jennifer Puckett – viola (2, 4, 6)
- Barrie Cooper – violin (2, 4, 6)
- Jessie Munson – violin (2, 4, 6)
- Wen-Yih Yu – violin (2, 4, 6)
- Monét Owens – backing vocals, lead vocals (9)
- Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals
Production
- Steve Jordan – producer, engineer, mixing
- Niko Bolas – engineer, mixing
- Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell – additional recording
- Michael Rodriguez – additional recording
- Chris Taberez – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer
- Artie Smith – technician
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Steve Fallone – additional mastering
- David Alan Kogut – art direction
- Deborah Feingold – photography
- Matt McGinley – photography assistant
- Joel Hoffner – management
- Ken Levitan – management
- Jack Rovner – management
- Studios
- Recorded at Royal Recording Studios (Memphis, Tennessee) and The Barn (Napa Valley, California).
- Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).
References
- Baltin, Steve (January 14, 2013). "Boz Scaggs to Release First New Album in Five Years in March". Rolling Stone. New York City: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- "Boz Scaggs' "MEMPHIS" Debuts In Billboard Top 20!". PR Newswire.
- "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015.
- Jurek, Thom. Memphis review allmusic.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2014.
- "Memphis [B&N Exclusive] by Boz Scaggs". Barnes & Noble. March 5, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.