The Bar-Kays “Soul Finger”

The Bar-Kays

“Soul Finger”
( LP Volt Records,1967 )
Catalog # VOLT 417

Tracklisting:
A1 Soul Finger
A2 Knucklehead
A3 With A Child’s Heart
A4 Bar-Kays Boogaloo
A5 Theme From Hell’s Angels
B1 You Can’t Sit Down
B2 House Shoes
B3 Pearl High
B4 I Want Someone
B5 Hole In The Wall
B6 Don’t Do That

Review:
Originally released in 1967, Soul Finger was the Bar-Kays’ first album, and it’s obvious why they were constantly lauded by legends such as Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper as key soul music innovators. Soul Finger was the only release by the original lineup before the tragic December 1967 plane crash that killed Otis Redding and four of the band (they reformed in 1968). The album contains 11 instrumental tracks, each of them catchy, danceable and all around attention-grabbing. Soul Finger is marked by Phalon Jones and Ben Cauley’s infectious horn riffs and Jimmy King’s sparse yet sensitive guitar work. Add Ronnie Caldwell’s bluesy organ and Carl Cunningham’s rock steady grooves, and you’ve got a hypnotic recipe for the down-home Memphis soul. Songs such as ‘You Can’t Sit Down’ and ‘Bar-Kay’s Boogaloo’ are ideal party tunes. Energetic and life affirming, this music is simply contagious.

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By Celo