Heart & Soul (CD - 1992)

Includes liner notes by John Crosby.

Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar).

Liner Note Authors: John Crosby ; Ray Topping.

Unknown Contributor Role: Ted Carroll.

The Biharis harbored dreams of crossing the rich-voiced King over into the pop market during the '50s, trying him out on some of the dreariest ballads imaginable. Many of those limp outings turn up on this collection -- hearing the king of the blues croon "On My Word of Honour" and "My Heart Belongs to You" like a refugee from the Platters ain't a good time by any means! Fortunately, not everything is so dire: "Story from My Heart and Soul," "Lonely and Blue," and the delicious "Sneakin' Around" sport a more edifying mix of blues and balladry. ~ Bill Dahl

The Biharis harbored dreams of crossing the rich-voiced King over into the pop market during the '50s, trying him out on some rather limp ballads. Many of those outings turn up on this collection -- the king of the blues croons "On My Word of Honour" and "My Heart Belongs to You" like a refugee from the Platters... Fortunately..."Story from My Heart and Soul," "Lonely and Blue," and the delicious "Sneakin' Around" sport a more edifying mix of blues and balladry. ~ Bill Dahl

During the early part of his career, B.B. King made occasional efforts to cross over to the pop ballad market. Twenty of these efforts, mostly from the late 1950s and early 1960s, are collected on HEART & SOUL. It is a truly unusual B.B. King disc, if for no other reason than that King's signature guitar playing is entirely absent. Furthermore, the material (much of it written or co-written by King) and arrangements here are more appropriate to Jackie Wilson or the Platters than they are to the "King of the Blues."

Still, HEART & SOUL is a fascinating document of the era in which these songs were recorded, and it also includes some interesting pairings: King and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra on the Duke Ellington classic "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," King and pianist Ike Turner on "Story From My Heart and Soul," and King with a Famous Flames-like backing chorus on numerous tracks. King is an excellent vocalist, and he acquits himself well here (although some of the songs require him to sing in a falsetto that is not his greatest asset). minimize