Memphis is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Boz Scaggs. It was Scaggs's first solo release since 2008's Speak Low. The album was released on March 5, 2013, by 429 Records. The album has debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 17, and has sold 90,000 copies in the US as of March 2015.
Critical reception
Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album a positive review with 4 of 5 stars, describing the record as "a stunner. Scaggs is in full possession of that iconic voice; he delivers songs with an endemic empathy and intimacy that make them sound like living, breathing stories."
JazzTimes reviewer Christopher Louden wrote, "Among postmillennial vocal-jazz developments, near the top of the list is Boz Scaggs’ reemergence as a richly gifted interpreter of standards. Now Scaggs takes a slight detour, physically and stylistically, landing at Memphis’ fabled Royal Studios for a stellar assortment of soul and country covers . . . His distinctive voice, with its trademark nasal twang, remains remarkably strong, showing little if any deterioration since the days of Silk Degrees and Down Two Then Left. The playlist draws almost exclusively from that same era".
Track listing Most of the songs on the album were previously released by other singers.
A two-disc version of the album was released for exclusive distribution by Barnes & Noble in the United States. The second disc contains six demos, three of which were recorded as fully produced versions for the final release of the album and three of which were not.
Personnel
Boz Scaggs – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar (1–8, 10, 12), electric guitar (1–8, 10, 12), guitars (11) Jim Cox – Rhodes electric piano (1, 5), acoustic piano (3, 5–7, 12), Wurlitzer electric piano (6), organ (12) Charles Hodges – organ (2, 5, 6, 9), Wurlitzer electric piano (4) Lester Snell – Wurlitzer electric piano (2, 9), string arrangements (2, 6), horn arrangements (6) Spooner Oldham – Wurlitzer electric piano (3, 5, 8, 10), acoustic piano (4), organ (4) Ray Parker Jr. – acoustic guitar (1–8, 10, 12), electric guitar (1–8, 10, 12) Eddie Willis – guitars (9) Keb' Mo' – slide dobro (10) Rick Vito – guitar (11) Willie Weeks – bass guitar (1–10, 12, upright bass (2, 4, 6) David Hungate – bass guitar (11) Steve Jordan – drums (1–10, 12), percussion (1–10, 12), horn arrangements (2), string arrangements (4), backing vocals Shannon Forrest – drums (11) Jack Ashford – vibraphone (5) Jim Horn – baritone saxophone (2, 6) Lannie McMillan – tenor saxophone (2, 6) Jack Hale – trombone (2, 6) Ben Cauley – trumpet (2, 6) Charlie Musselwhite – harmonica (10, 11) Willie Mitchell – string arrangements (2) Jonathan Kirkscey – cello (2, 4, 6) Mark Wallace – cello (2, 4, 6) Beth Luscome – viola (2, 4, 6) Jennifer Puckett – viola (2, 4, 6) Barrie Cooper – violin (2, 4, 6) Jessie Munson – violin (2, 4, 6) Wen-Yih Yu – violin (2, 4, 6) Monét Owens – backing vocals, lead vocals (9) Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals
Production Steve Jordan – producer, engineer, mixing Niko Bolas – engineer, mixing Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell – additional recording Michael Rodriguez – additional recording Chris Taberez – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer Artie Smith – technician Greg Calbi – mastering Steve Fallone – additional mastering David Alan Kogut – art direction Deborah Feingold – photography Matt McGinley – photography assistant Joel Hoffner – management Ken Levitan – management Jack Rovner – management
Studios Recorded at Royal Recording Studios (Memphis, Tennessee) and The Barn (Napa Valley, California). Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).
References