Solomon Burke came to my mind earlier today when looking at fellow music blogger Music Enthusiast’s great list of his top 25 favorite singers and commenting that I might have included Burke in that list. If I recall it correctly, a good friend of mine recommended A Change Is Gonna Come to me in the late ’80s, a few years after the album had been released in 1986.
From the get-go, I liked Burke’s voice and the way he delivered the album’s nine tunes, though sadly I never continued exploring his music beyond this record – something I’m planning to correct! A Change Is Gonna Come mixed covers of a few older classics with then-new material written by Burke and songwriters Paul Kelly, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham and Jimmy Lewis.
The album kicks of with the Kelly composition Love Buys Love, a beautiful mid-tempo ballad.
Next up is Got To Get Myself Some Money, one of two tracks written by Burke. The upbeat tune has a great groove driven by a pumping bass and a great Memphis style horn section.
The title song A Change Is Gonna Come is the standout on the album. It truly takes Sam Cooke’s beautiful original to the next level. Burke’s singing simply gives me the goose bumps. Burke, who also was a preacher, extends the tune into a sermon. According to the liner notes of my CD, the tune has always meant a lot to Burke. He is quoted as saying, “Even though it’s a song that’s over twenty years old, it still hits home. The world’s still got problems – drugs, crime, apartheid. We’ve progressed a long way since Sam wrote that song, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Here We Go Again, the album’s second track written by Burke, has a great funk grove. It also features a cool part where Burke calls out the bassist, the guitarist and the keyboarder, with each responding by playing their respective instrument.
The last song I’d like to call out is a great cover of one of my favorite soul ballads, When A Man Loves A Woman. Written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, the song was first recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966. Burke’s version slightly kicks up the speed and turns the song more into a mid-tempo classic soul tune with a great horn section.
Produced by Scott Billington, A Change Is Gonna Come continued a revival of sorts in Burke’s career that began with 1984’s Soul Alive! Still, these albums, which both appeared on Rounder Records, did not bring mainstream chart success for Burke, though they increased his popularity as a live performer.
While Burke never achieved the commercial success of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and James Brown, he is considered to be one of the artists who helped shape soul music in the ’60s. He was revered by other musicians like The Rolling Stones who covered Everybody Needs Somebody to Love and Cry to Me on their second and third U.K. albums, respectively.
Late in his career, Burke finally received some well-deserved recognition. In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. He also won a Grammy in 2003 for Best Contemporary Blues Album for his 2002 studio release Don’t Give Up On Me. Last but not least, Rolling Stone ranked Burke at no. 89 in its 2010 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Sources: Wikipedia, A Change Is Gonna Come Liner Notes (Jeff Hannusch), Rolling Stone, YouTube
Christian's Music Musings 
Good stuff. I’m glad you told me about his cover of the Sam Cooke song. Didn’t know it. I knew about the Stones covers of his stuff, though. Kind of an under-the-radar guy.
LikeLike