Release Date : June 3, 2026
In addition to their tight friendship,
Johnny Rawls and Dave Keller have a remarkable chemistry together
with their music. Their voices certainly
complement each other. With approximately
nine decades in the music business between the two, they bring every bit of that
experience to Bigfoot Studios in Waterville, Ohio to share their
love for “Old School Soul”. Tribute
to Soul their new album, features Rawls on vocals/rhythm guitar/percussion
and Keller on vocals/rhythm guitar/guitar solos. They are joined by The Dave Keller Band
members Ira Friedman on organ/piano/electric piano, Alex Budney
on bass, and Jay Gleason on drums.
In addition, they are accompanied by a horn section comprised of Paul
Johnson on saxophones, Ben DeLong on trumpet, and Travis Geiman
on trombone.
The eleven-track record breaks open with a roof-raising blast of brass on “I’m Qualified”. First recorded by Jimmy Hughes who recently passed away in May at the age of eighty-eight and written by Rick Hall (FAME Studios), the duo immediately dials the listener into the sixties for the golden era of soul. Their cover of “Neighbor, Neighbor”, another track previously recorded by Hughes, is fantastic. I dig the surf-style guitar licks Keller decorates this song with. I love their delivery of the 1968 classic "I’ve Never Found a Girl " by Eddie Floyd. The way Rawls and Keller vocally approach the song is smooth as glass. They sound great. Hearing them sing Joe South’s “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” makes quite an impression. They sure breathe a soulful, horn-accompanied new life into this 1970 pop-folk hit. The southern soul of Joe Tex’s “Hold What You’ve Got” is beautiful and melancholically. It’s such a fabulous song to begin with, but with Rawls and Keller at the helm, it’s one that really gushes with feeling. The groove running through “Drowning on Dry Land” lends to a funkier and more vibrant version of the song. It’s a solid hit in my book.
Tribute to Soul is a legitimate and meaningful tribute to the soul-singers who mentored and inspired Johnny Rawls and Dave Keller. It’s a feel-good record which I can listen to all day. I hope to hear more from them.
For more information about Johnny Rawls, visit his website https://johnnyrawlsblues.com/
For more information about
Dave Keller, visit his website https://www.davekeller.com/
For more PhillyCheeze posts featuring Johnny Rawls, visit https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Johnny+Rawls
For more PhillyCheeze posts featuring Dave Keller, visit https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Dave+Keller
This album available on
Bandcamp