Don Covay’s work as a songwriter and performer helped to lay the foundations of Southern soul. His songs have been recorded by some of the genre’s greatest voices, and though Covay never became a household name, his compositions are every bit as indelible as those of more feted peers like Dan Penn and Isaac Hayes. Covay’s career was effectively launched by the release of “Mercy, Mercy” a soulful plea that would rocket to the top of the R&B charts in 1964 and attract the attention of Atlantic Records, who released the full length Mercy! the following year. Mercy is a minor miracle of early-‘60s soul, and on it Covay displays a genius for incorporating old gospel and R&B melodies into his lean, rhythm-driven compositions. The gospel-infused “Can’t Stay Away” yokes a mean rhythm section to the drifting melody of the Swan Silvertones’ transcendent “Savior, Pass Me Not,” while “Please Don’t Let Me Know” updates the central riff of Bill Doggett’s 1956 R&B classic “Honky Tonk” for the soul era. More than just a great soul album, Mercy! offers listeners the chance to witness as Don Covay’s era-defining songwriting talents take shape, song by song.