I believe that Otis Redding was one of those rare talents that arrives only once in a lifetime, which makes his death atage 26 even more tragic. His voice was incomparable and he was a performer of tremendous energy and passion. There was, and never will be, anyone else like him.

That makes anything that he recorded worthy of a listen, but this album hits all the right notes. When you combine his voice with an outstanding collection of songs, both originals and covers, and have Booker T. & the M.G.’s as the band behind him, you can’t go wrong.

This album is such a joy to listen to. I couldn’t love it more than I do.

“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” is the standout track, if there can be such a thing from this album.

To learn more about the 1001 Albums Project, I first wrote about it here.