Review by Alex Henderson
For many decades, African-American churches have worried about losing their best singers to secular music. And inevitably, many of them will, in fact, explore secular music instead of devoting 100 percent of their time to gospel. Al Smith is a perfect example. The obscure singer's roots were gospel, but he favored a jazz-influenced approach to blues and soul when he recorded two albums for Prestige/Bluesville: Hear My Blues in 1959 and Midnight Special in 1960. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's famous New Jersey studio, Midnight Special finds Smith backed by a rock-solid quintet that consists of King Curtis on tenor sax, Robert Banks on organ, Jimmy Lee Robinson on electric guitar, Leonard Gaskin on acoustic bass, and Bobby Donaldson on drums. While the lyrics are totally secular, Smith's gospel background never goes away. You can tell that the passionate, highly expressive singer has a church background whether he is embracing straight-up blues on "Goin' to Alabama" and Eddie Boyd's "Five Long Years" or getting into soul on "I Can't Make It By Myself," "You're a Sweetheart," and "The Bells." Smith has a big, full, rich voice, and he uses it to maximum advantage throughout this excellent album (which Fantasy reissued on CD in 1996 for its Original Blues Classics series). With the right exposure, Smith might have become a major name in 1960s blues and R&B -- he certainly had the chops and the talent. But, unfortunately, he never enjoyed the commercial success that he was most deserving of. Nonetheless, Midnight Special is an album to savor if you're the type of listener who holds classic soul and the blues in equally high regard.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/midnight-special-mw0000184531
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Reseña de Alex Henderson
Durante muchas décadas, las iglesias afroamericanas se han preocupado por perder a sus mejores cantantes por la música secular. E inevitablemente, muchos de ellos, de hecho, explorarán la música secular en lugar de dedicar el 100 por ciento de su tiempo al evangelio. Al Smith es un ejemplo perfecto. Las raíces del oscuro cantante eran el gospel, pero se inclinó por un enfoque del blues y el soul influenciado por el jazz cuando grabó dos álbumes para Prestige/Bluesville: Hear My Blues en 1959 y Midnight Special en 1960. Grabado en el famoso estudio de Rudy Van Gelder en Nueva Jersey, Midnight Special encuentra a Smith respaldado por un sólido quinteto de rock que consiste en King Curtis al saxo tenor, Robert Banks al órgano, Jimmy Lee Robinson a la guitarra eléctrica, Leonard Gaskin al bajo acústico y Bobby Donaldson a la batería. Aunque las letras son totalmente seculares, el trasfondo evangélico de Smith nunca desaparece. Se nota que el apasionado y expresivo cantante tiene un trasfondo eclesiástico, ya sea que esté abrazando el blues directo en "Goin' to Alabama" y "Five Long Years" de Eddie Boyd, o entrando en el alma en "I Can't Make It By Myself", "You're a Sweetheart" y "The Bells". Smith tiene una voz grande, completa y rica, y la utiliza al máximo a lo largo de este excelente álbum (que Fantasy reeditó en CD en 1996 para su serie Original Blues Classics). Con la exposición adecuada, Smith podría haberse convertido en un nombre importante en el blues y el R&B de los años sesenta. Pero, desafortunadamente, nunca tuvo el éxito comercial que más merecía. No obstante, Midnight Special es un álbum para saborear si eres el tipo de oyente que tiene el soul clásico y el blues en la misma alta estima.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/midnight-special-mw0000184531
Discogs ...
Tracklist:
1 - Five Long Years - 6:56
2 - You're A Sweetheart - 4:31
3 - Don't Worry 'Bout Me - 3:31
4 - Ride On Midnight Special - 2:33
5 - The Bells - 4:08
6 - Goin' To Alabama - 3:19
7 - I'll Never Let You Go - 3:37
8 - I Can't Make It By Myself - 3:30
Credits:
Bass – Leonard Gaskin
Drums – Bobby Donaldson
Guitar – Jimmy Lee
Liner Notes – Nat Hentoff
Organ – Robert Banks
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – King Curtis
Vocals – Al Smith
Notes:
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ; August 11, 1960
Label: Original Blues Classics – OBCCD-583-2, Prestige Bluesville – BV-1013
Released: 1996
Original release: 1961
Genre: Jazz, Blues
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