Redding, Otis
The Soul Album
'The Soul Album' is the fourth studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding, released in 1966. It features Redding performing songs that he co-wrote, as well as covers of songs by such musicians as Sam Cooke, Eddie Floyd, Roy Head, and Smokey Robinson. Guitarist Steve Cropper contributed guitar on the album and is also credited as the co-author of three tracks. 'The Soul Album' shows Otis Redding moving from strength to strength in a string of high-energy, sweaty soul performances, interspersing his own songs with work by Sam Cooke ('Chain Gang'), Roy Head ('Treat Her Right'), Eddie Floyd ('Everybody Makes A Mistake'), and Smokey Robinson ('It's Growing') and recasting them in his own style, so that they're not "covers" so much as reinterpretations.