Back In Style (Back in Style)

Blues/Soul Radio D.J.

     

As a radio broadcaster playing blues and soul music for the past 13 years at a community station in northern California, I became aware of Tad Robinson with the release of his 2004 Severn album, "Did You Ever Wonder," and have since enjoyed his music while sharing it with my radio audience. "Back in Style" is his definitive work thus far, a set of ten perfectly crafted soul tunes with consistently flawless vocal and musical performances. Studio veteran/bassist Steve Gomes wrote/co-wrote half the songs, demonstrating his own flare for the genre, and Memphis Horns legend Wayne Jackson adds authenticity and elegance to the big brass sound that evokes the golden years of Memphis soul. Tad’s voice and the arrangements immediately beg comparison to Al Green, Howard Tate and the late O.V. Wright and Syl Johnson. However, with eight original soul gems and two interpretations of obscure vintage treasures (Clarence Shields' "You Name It I've Had It" and Sam Dees' "Just Out of My Reach") that only the most well-informed music scholars could ever bring to light, Robinson is well on his way to establishing his own legend in the music world. From the first notes of the opening Gomes composition "Rained All Night," to the shimmering harmony vocals of the set closer written by Tad, "Get Back To Love," the grooves wrap around you like a warm summer breeze and ease your mind of all its worries. The bluesy mid-tempo “Full Attention Blues,” with its deep southern essence, would be a fitting addition to Bobby “Blue” Bland’s repertoire. "On and On," another Tad original, flows with carefree abandon, propelled by his fluid phrasings and equally pleasing vocal delivery. With this modern soul classic that’s hard to put down, Tad Robinson certainly seems destined for soul music immortality.