 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
  |
 |
|
|
|
|
Greg Trooper In the fall of 2004, Greg Trooper tried to settle in to a moment not easily settled into - his first full-on recording session in the basement studio of soul producer and songwriter Dan Penn. Author of I'm Your Puppet, Do Right Woman and Dark End of the Street; producer of Solomon Burke, Irma Thomas and the Box Tops; colleague of Jerry Wexler and Chips Moman, Penn made a huge impact on soul music, but he's mighty low-key about it. He's a humble guy. But that didn't necessarily make it easier for Troop. Musicians regard their heroes in infinitely varied ways, but they all have them. It's almost a job requirement. Trooper has described his own holy trinity as Otis Redding, Hank Williams and Bob Dylan. Below that is that cascade of demi-gods that any lover of old records can conjure in his own mind's eye. Near the top, for Trooper, would be Penn. And there he was on the other side of the double wall glass, as Trooper spread his feet, swung his guitar under his arm and addressed the vocal mike. Does Penn's production make Make It Through This World a soul record? Sort of, and yet too many other colors swirl around on the palette to make it that simple. Besides, Trooper's soul and Otis Redding's soul come from different places in the throat, if not the heart. You won't find Troop wailing away improvisational funk like Otis at the end of Try A Little Tenderness. He was sitting down after all, and his intent was focus and clarity, not histrionics. 'I hope to God I didn't overdo anything,' Troop says with a smile. 'Dan will agree with you. There's nothing worse than a white guy over-singing rhythm and blues. Just nothing worse.' You can visit Greg Trooper's website at gregtrooper.com
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Latest Additions
| ||
|