Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.114) - Ranked #74 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time"
Rolling Stone (8/17/00, p.114) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Redding's true dictionary of soul, a stunning journey through the past and future vocabulary of R&B....documenting a masterful artist rising to...the immense challenge of his times."
Q (5/00, p.135) - Included in Q Magazine's "Best Soul Albums Of All Time"
Q (2/93, p.92) - 5 Stars - Indispensable - "...the isolated constituent parts of OTIS BLUE come together with a beautiful precision which borders on a kind of Southern soul sorcery...arguably the hottest and strongest half-hour in soul..."
NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #35 in NME's list of the `Greatest Albums Of All Time.'
Paste (magazine) (p.65) - "OTIS BLUE marked the beginning of increased visibility for Redding....Consistently gripping..."
Personnel: Otis Redding (vocals); Steve Cropper (guitar); Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone); Wayne Jackson, Gene "Bowlegs" Miller (trumpet); Isaac Hayes, Booker T. Jones (keyboards); Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass); Al Jackson Jr. (drums); Earl Sims (background vocals).
Recorded at Stax Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee in July of 1965 except track 5 recorded in April of 1965.
Originally released on Volt (412).
Includes original release liner notes by Bob Rolontz.
Many people's choice as their favorite Otis Redding album, much of OTIS BLUE finds the quintessential soul singer in atypically sensitive mode. Up until its release he'd been regarded as something of an R&B shouter in the Wilson Pickett mould, and he doesn't disappoint fans of this earlier incarnation with typically energetic versions of "Respect," "Shake" and "Satisfaction."
But it's the album opener, "Ole Man Trouble" that's a sign of Redding's emerging more mature, reflective side that was to culminate in the posthumous "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay," while the heartbreaking "I've Been Loving You Too Long" remains one of his, and perhaps soul music's, greatest performances. He is, of course, accompanied throughout by the classic MG's lineup which, as always, is the perfect foil for his distinctive style. OTIS BLUE finds Otis Redding and '60s soul at their respective artistic peaks.
