"I BELIEVE TO MY SOUL" 2005

Inspired by his experience producing the legendary Solomon Burke's Grammy-winning 2002 comeback album, producer-singer-songwriter Joe Henry became passionate about recording more music with other surviving soul music icons. Henry's vision was realized when some of his favorite living artists-Ann Peebles, Billy Preston, Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas, and Alan Toussaint recorded a mix of classic and original songs in Hollywood's famed Capitol studios. Some sessions overlapped and the artists collaborated, some tracks spotlight a singularly masterful voice...all are inspired-and inspiring. (The Soul Monthly)In the mighty annals of soul history, few regions can compare with the Southern states in terms of output and contributions. Countless names (and obscure anonymous dusties) along with signature warm and up-front productions have made Southern soul an almost instantly identifiable sound. What makes I Believe to My Soul so intriguing is that it's been nearly five decades in the making -- with an interweaving of five soul juggernauts who cross paths yet again in their careers to record new versions of older material. Producer Joe Henry assembled Ann Peebles, Irma Thomas, Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, and Billy Preston together over the span of a week and invited them in for recording sessions. Much like those records of yesterday, the results are immediately warm, inviting, and highly intimate; even with the advancements in technology and digital culture, these songs transcend ones and zeros and sound like they were committed to analog tape. Even decades on from their creative primes of life, these five artists prove that age ain't nothing but a number -- they riff and jam with one another as if they were returning to the fountain of youth. It's an ambitious set that is pulled off with class and grace, and one that hopefully will see a follow-up in the near future. (Allmusic)
Even though he has released nine albums of his own in more than two decades in the music business, Joe Henry may best be known as the producer of soul man Solomon Burke's 2002 comeback record, Don't Give Up on Me. Now Henry hopes to do for soul what Ry Cooder's Buena Vista Social Club did for Cuban music, convening R&B legends Allen Toussaint, Billy Preston Irma Thomas, Mavis Staples and Ann Peebles for one week at Hollywood's Capitol Studios. But rather than rehashing the past in individual sessions, Henry assembled a house band (led by Toussaint) and demanded newly written or freshly interpreted songs. While her most recent solo release Have A Little Faith makes Staples appearance here less critical, her duet with Preston (whose organ playing is splendid) on "That's Enough"is a highlight. But the real stars are Thomas and the piano-driven rendition of Tom Jans' "Loving Arms,"and the underrated Peebles, who reinvents Bob Dylan's "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" from Nashville crooning to Beale Street believable. --Scott Holtertrax:

1. You Must Have That True Religion - Mavis Staples 2. Both Ways - Billy Preston 3. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You - Ann Peebles 4. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh - Irma Thomas 5. Mi Amour - Allen Toussaint 6. Keep On Pushing - Mavis Staples 7. As One - Billy Preston 8. Loving Arms - Irma Thomas 9. River Boat - Allen Toussaint 10. That's Enough - Mavis Staples & Billy Preston 11. Turvalon - Allen Toussaint 12. When The Candle Burns Low - Ann Peebles 13. We Are One - Allen Toussaint

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