"Daylight" is his ultimate masterpiece. The catchier things he did, the more ornate work, is his best; as a conventional soul singer doing the conventional cover versions, except for "Fly Me to the Moon," he wasn't all that interesting. "How I Miss You Baby," "What Is This," "It's Gonna Rain" (Tommy Cogbill's bass rules), "Arkansas State Prison," "That's the Way I Feel About Cha," and the mind-boggling "You're Welcome, Stop on By" are amazing. I don't care for his '70s albums, by and large--the material isn't there and his covers are forgettable. "If You Think You're Lonely Now" from '80 is his last great moment. I like his more obvious stuff from the Moman recordings, "Broadway Walk" and so forth. But he was never really the soul vocalist his peers were, so it has a self-regarding edge that detracts from its impact--he was just conceptually a bit soft, undefined. I love him, beautiful guitarist, but I think his career boils down into a fairly small set of tunes. Maybe someone could compile the later stuff to some effect.
― eddhurt, Saturday, 10 February 2018 13:09 (six years ago) link