Nothing S Impossible

This magnificent album, destined to be an all-time essential in any library of classic soul, is a bittersweet triumph. On one hand, it marks the 70th birthday year of Solomon Burke, who ranks with the very greatest R&B immortals; on the other, it's the final full album produced by another soul legend, producer Willie Mitchell, the Memphis architect of the Hi Records sound and the man behind everlasting hits by Al Green, Ann Peebles, and so many others. Willie Mitchell died on January 5, 2010.. NOTHING'S IMPOSSIBLE delivers a dozen tracks of timeless soul magic in the purest Memphis style with the deepest Southern roots. Yet there's not the slightest whiff of nostalgia. Solomon Burke's voice is full-strength, and Willie Mitchell's arrangements flourish in the Hi-style: tight, right horns; rock solid kick drums and mellow bass; country guitar fills, and the sweetest, sparest string arrangements to enhance the romance and the heartbreak of these amazing songs. Solomon Burke was an important early soul pioneer despite never having made a major impact upon the pop audience. On his '60s singles for Atlantic, he brought a country influence into R&B with emotional phrasing and deeply powerful melodic ballads and midtempo songs. His combination of gospel, pop, country, and production polish was basic to the recipe of early soul. Solomon, like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, was an important influence upon the Rolling Stones, who covered Burke's "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" on their early albums. Over the years, Solomon Burke has become one of the most visible living exponents of classic soul music. Burke's 2002 release, Don't Give Up on Me was hailed as a major comeback for the legendary soul man. And now, in this sublime collaboration with a master producer, Solomon Burke has written another chapter in this unsurpassed body of work. When it comes to real soul music, Solomon and the late Willie Mitchell have once again proven that NOTHING'S IMPOSSIBLE.