Has anyone else got this album yet?
Great new release from T.O.P. it's great to be able to finally hear the current line up, with new guitarist Mark Harper. If you are unaware this is a covers album featuring some of the band's favourite soul music, including some fairly worthy guest vocalists aswell as frontman Larry Braggs.
Rocco is shining as always, with the David Garibaldi/Rocco Prestia rhythm section back to it's best.
The interpretations of the various tunes, in my opinion is fairly outstanding, staying fairly faithful to some of the arrangements, obviously with the Tower of Power touch in there to kick it up a step (...see what I did there
). I do think the best songs on the album are "Mr. Pitiful", featuring Sam Moore, and "It Takes Two" featuring Larry Braggs and Joss Stone. The latter being a new completely different interpretation to the Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston classic, with some serious T.O.P. grooves going down.
The Horn Section is in fine form, as usual, with a beautiful take on Me & Mrs. Jones.
The other guest vocalists are Sir Tom Jones, who sings the Sam and Dave song "I Thank You", and band friend Huey Lewis singing "6345-789".
I think this is a great album, and with the inclusion of these guest vocalists will hopefully get Tower some more radio airplay and long due exposure. This album can certainly hold it's own sitting along side
Tower of Power and
Back to Oakland, the band are obviously in extremely fine form.
Can't wait untill they come back over to the U.K.
any other thoughts?
