Bo-Keys enlist soul greats for Got To Get Back!

One thing I've never understood about the soul revival game is why record collector geeks with studio access and their own labels consistently choose to work with relatively mediocre singers when exceptionally great performers who've had respectable recording careers in the 60s and 70s are left to watch nature programs at home with the sound turned off. country is a guilty pleasure that they wouldn't want their friends to know about.
Whether it's due to their ignorance, laziness or just the simple economics of not wanting to pay for real vocal talent when a competent singer who lives in the neighborhood will suffice, the whole sad situation has been more than a bit perplexing. That's why it was so very heartening to learn that Memphis-based producer/composer/bandleader Scott Bomar (Hustle & Flow) had enlisted genuine deep soul heavyweights Otis Clay, William Bell and Percy Wiggins to add some belting power to his new Bo-Keys album Got To Get Back! (Electraphonic Records) set for release June 21.

                                                                                            Otis Clay

if you're trying to make authentic sounding soul recordings, why not call in some hombres who've racked up years of studio experience making memorable soul records. That's exactly what Bomar did by bolstering his band hit-making session vets like guitarist Charles "Skip" Pitts (who created the unforgettable wah-wah guitar intro to Isaac Hayes' Theme from Shaft), Pac-Keys and Black Rock keyboardist Archie "Hubbie" Turner, Bar-Kays trumpeter Ben Cauley (sole survivor of the plane crash that claimed the life of Otis Redding) and powerhouse Hi Rhythm drummer Howard Grimes.
So when Bomar wanted to add vocals to the Bo-Keys second album, he employed the same strategy and rang up the best singers available. I'm not talking about above-average wedding singers who can do a version of Midnight Hour that sounds remarkably like Wilson Pickett. Nope. He went for charismatic song stylists who've developed their craft over decades in front of unruly paying audiences. Clay, Bell and Wiggins each answered the call and turned what could've easily been a naff retro-soul nostalgia trip into something extraordinary and timeless. Although the Chicago-based Clay has long been associated with the Chi-town sound and Peachtree and Wilbe label boss Bell is now more connected with the Atlanta scene, they both have strong ties to Memphis as does lifelong resident Wiggins – it's where their careers were launched after all. Check out the mini-documentary below. 

The Making of Got To Get Back!

The Bo-Keys "Got to Get Back !" Mini Doc from Electraphonic Recording on Vimeo.