Authored By pitulah

What is soul music? What are the defining characteristics of the genre? Are there any? Those are good questions and ones which don’t necessarily have an easy answer. But if I had to choose any one person to ask these questions-and one who I’d swear by to answer honestly and accurately-it’d be Otis Redding.

Without veering too far into hyperbole, Otis Redding personified the genre in a way that few other artists ever managed. His presence and vocal resonance hardly found an equal and the depth of feeling that he laid into every song made him one of the preeminent soul singers of his time.

Born in Dawson, Ga., in 1941 and raised in Macon, Redding quit school at 15 to support his family, eventually working with Little Richard’s backing band, The Upsetters. He also worked with Johnny Jenkins’ band, The Pinetoppers, for a time before landing an unexpected Stax recording session, which led to the label releasing his first single, “These Arms of Mine,” in 1962. Stax released his debut record, “Pain in My Heart,” two years later.

The working relationship between Stax and Redding would last until his untimely death in 1967. He was killed in a plane crash, along with fellow musicians Matthew Kelly, Jimmy King, Phalon Jones, Ronnie Caldwell and Carl Cunningham. The pilot was also killed.

His legacy and musical contributions grew in stature after his death, which led to his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” being released in 1968-not a month after his death.

But his initial albums often go unnoticed, as if his previous work was immaterial to his canonization in the history of soul music. These recordings ofen found Redding baring his soul unlike he’d ever done before and would ever again. These songs felt raw (even when they arrangements seemed cluttered and unnecessary), as if they were balanced on an exposed nerve. They were powerful and confident and showed us exactly what kind of performer he was.

Redding released his third studio record, “Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul,” in 1965, and it contained a few original songs (“Ole Man Trouble,” “Respect,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”), plus a handful of covers-including “Change Gonna Come,” “My Girl” and “Satisfaction.” The originals were fierce, jubilant and exactly what we’d come to expect from him on subsequent recordings. And these covers were transformative, stripping away the presence of the original artists and leaving only Redding’s distinct mark.

He even snuck in a cover of Solomon Burke’s “Down In the Valley” for good measure. But it’s his presentation of these sounds that makes them so uniquely his, and his alone. There is a weariness to his voice, which speaks volumes regarding the validity of the experiences that fueled his passion for music. Every strained sigh and furtive bellow points to the authenticity and emotional honesty of his work.

“Otis Blue” feels, in many ways, like the culmination of Redding’s journey thus far to get where he was going. There was pain on this record but also joy. And it was in the middle ground between those extremes that he found something remarkable to hold on to-to act as his guide through the darkness.

Redding was struck down in the prime of his life-well before he was due to leave us. But we have a long library of albums and compilations to keep him and his music fresh in our minds, and “Otis Blue” stands as one of the most important and enduring records in his legacy. And while many people may point to “The Dock of the Bay” and its title track as the single greatest gift that he gave us, there’s no denying that “Otis Blue” stands as his most consistent and affecting collection of recordings. Soul music was never again as soulful as it was here on this record.

Joshua Pickard covers local and national music, film and other aspects of pop culture. You can contact him on Facebook, Twitter or by email. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.