Marcel Smith – From My Soul
Little Village Records
www.littlevillagefoundation.com
13 Tracks – 59 minutes
Marcel Smith gained his interest in music from studying gospel quartets and strengthened those interests further by exploring gospel groups such as The Soul Stirrers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and The Dixie Hummingbirds. Gospel singer Willie Washington first heard Marcel singing in church at age fifteen. Willie immediately invited Marcel to join his band, The WD Gospel Singers, in 1994.
While there are certainly gospel overtones to his vocals, Marcel takes that strong, smooth delivery into a wide range of music genres. The album consists of five originals penned by Marcel and eight covers. Kid Andersen produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the recording at his Greaseland Studio. Kid also play guitar on the album. Marcel clearly is the lead vocalist and while not listed as playing any instruments, an inside cover picture shows him playing the guitar. Other band members include Derrick “D-Mar” Martin on drums; Andre Tarczy on bass, Jim Pugh on organ and piano, Rick Estrin on harmonica, Jon Otis on percussion, John Worley on trumpet and Don Dally on strings. Guests include Jerry Jemmott on bass on track 13; Mike Rinta on trombone on tracks 6,8, & 11; Aaron Lington on sax on tracks 1,9, & 10; Tony Lufrano on organ on track 8; Eric Spaulding on sax on track 2; Lisa Leuschner Andersen providing backing vocals on tracks 10 & 11; and Sons of the Soul Survivors providing backing vocals on tracks 1,3,4, & 10. Johnny Rawls also takes a featured vocal spot with Marcel on tracks 9 & 10.
The album opens with the original “I’m Coming Home to You”, a tale of a hard-working man eager to get home to his wife after each hard day. He says, “When I look in your eyes, I don’t have a care” “My work is all done, I’m going to leave it all behind. Bad news is on the radio, y’all, I really don’t mind.” A great, romantic R&B blast that should be a mantra of every working person. “If You Miss Me”, is a smooth croon as he wonders if she misses him as “all through the day my thoughts are of you.” The third original, “What Can We Do” is another R&B classic sounding song offering a social commentary about anxiety in the world today resulting from social pressure, climate, and violence. He asks that “every person take a stand”.
The first cover is Little Richard Penniman’s “Freedom Blues”, which is an apt follow up to the previous track. This song kicks up the gospel sound as he continues to ask, “to get rid of that old man hate” and demands “Everybody gotta be free”. Rick Estrin jumps out on the harmonica on this one. “Willie Nelson’s “Wake Me When It’s Over” slows things down again. Marcel’s smooth voice makes the song his own and the addition of an xylophone gives it a classical air. Jimmy Liggins’ “Drunk” is a party song as Marcel announces “Okay, gentlemen we are going to have a little fun.” The horns get things jumping and the song sounds like something Sly and The Family Stone might have recorded.
Jim Pugh penned the smooth, romantic song “To Be True”. Marcel pleas, “I can’t go one more day without you / cause I know what I said, and I know just what I done / but I will do right and undo the wrong”. Marcel’s fourth original “Nothing left To Burn” lets Kid Andersen rip off some prime guitar work before Marcel lets loose on vocals. He compares the burning of a building to the fire that has been burned out in their love.
As previously noted, Johnny Rawls joins Marcel on vocals on the next two songs, which immediately brings Sam and Dave to mind. The twosome opens with O.V. Wrights 1964 hit “There Goes My Used to Be” and then follows with Tyrone Davis’ 1970 song “Turn Back the Hands of Time”, which has been performed by many other performers including Otis Clay and Bruce Springsteen. Marcel keeps the emotions out in front in his final original “My Heart Told a Lie”. Kid’s guitar quietly underpins Marcel’s smooth vocals as the song builds with the organ coming in and backing vocalists then joining and finally the horns increasing his cry “that our love is a lie”.
Marcel’s cover of Mary Wells’ 1961 song ” I Don’t Want to Take a Chance” is an expression of fear that he just cannot stand to have his heart broken again. The album ends with a “bonus track”, the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”. He opens the track with a monologue about his mother having just passed away. He states that she put the music into his soul and this song is one that she introduced to him. He acknowledges that Al Green also sung the song. He dedicated the song to his mother’s memory.
This is classic soul and R&B with a throwback sound to the music of the 60’s and 70’s. Marcel makes every cover song his own, a testament to the power of his vocals and ability to draw you into the songs.
