The Royal Sessions
| The Royal Sessions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Paul Rodgers | ||||
| Released | 4 February 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013, Royal Studios, Memphis | |||
| Genre | Blues, soul | |||
| Length | 41:34 | |||
| Label | 429 Records, Pie Records | |||
| Producer | Perry A. Margouleff [1] | |||
| Paul Rodgers chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Royal Sessions is a studio album by Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company fame. Released on 4 February 2014, it consists of ten covers of blues, rhythm & blues and soul songs recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee with local musicians and produced by Perry A. Margouleff.[2][3] Rodgers chose songs for the album that inspired him in his youth.[3][4]
Rodgers announced before the album's release that he would be donating all proceeds from it to the Stax Music Academy, an after-school music programme in Memphis, stating that he wanted to "pay the proceeds to the people who gave us this music".[5]
The album entered the Billboard Blues Albums Chart at number 1, and entered the Billboard 200 at number 81.[6][7]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [9] |
| Glide | 8/10[2] |
| USA Today | [10] |
| Winnipeg Sun |  [11] |
Steven Thomas Erlewine, reviewing the album for Allmusic, gave it four stars out of five, describing it as "enjoyable".[9] Glide magazine awarded it 8/10.[2] USA Today gave it three stars out of four, with Jerry Shriver saying that "Rodgers' devotion rings true".[10] The Winnipeg Sun gave it two and a half stars, describing it as "Enjoyable, but not essential."[11] Le Parisien writer Michel Valentin viewed the familiarity of the songs as a drawback.[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Thank You" | (Isaac Hayes / David Porter) | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Down Don’t Bother Me" | (Albert King) | 2:17 |
| 3. | "I Can’t Stand the Rain" | (Don Bryant / Bernard Miller / Ann Peebles) | 4:05 |
| 4. | "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)" | (Jerry Butler / Otis Redding) | 5:36 |
| 5. | "That's How Strong My Love Is" | (Roosevelt Jamison) | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Walk On By" | (Burt Bacharach / Hal David) | 6:49 |
| 7. | "Any Ole Way" | (Steve Cropper / Otis Redding) | 2:38 |
| 8. | "It's Growing" | (Warren Moore / Smokey Robinson) | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Born Under a Bad Sign" | (William Bell / Booker T. Jones) | 4:09 |
| 10. | "I’ve Got Dreams to Remember" | (Otis Redding) | 6:31 |
- Amazon Exclusive Includes 3 Bonus Tracks – "Shake", "Walk In My Shadow" and "Wonderful World"
Personnel
- Paul Rodgers: Vocals
- Michael Toles: Guitar
- Leroy Hodges: Guitar (Bass)
- Michael Barar: Viola
- Roy Brewer: Violin
- Marc Franklin: Trumpet
- Charles Hodges: Hammond B3
- Wesley Hovanec: Assistant Engineer, Electric Bongos, Videography
- Jonathan Kirkscey: Cello
- Beth Luscombe: Viola
- Perry Margouleff: Guitar, Mixing, Producer
- Lannie McMillan: Sax (Tenor)
- Susanna Perry-Gilmore: Violin
- Jessie Munson: Violin
- Royal Horns: Featured Artist, Horn
- Lester Snell: Piano
- Gary Topper: Sax (Tenor)
- Archie Turner: Wurlitzer
- Mark Wallace: Cello
- The Royal Singers: Featured Artist
- The Royal Strings: Featured Artist, Strings
- James L. Spake: Sax (Baritone)
- James Robertson: Drums
- Steve Potts: Drums
- Sharisse Norman: Member of Featured Artist
- Shontelle Norman: Member of Featured Artist
- Daniel Bean: Assistant Engineer
- Stefanie Bolton: Member of Featured Artist
- Ryan Smith: Mastering
- William Wittman: Engineer, Mixing
Charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 92 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 58 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 81 |
References
- ↑ Graff, Gary (14 January 2014). "Paul Rodgers, 'Walk on By': Exclusive Song Premiere Off 'The Royal Sessions'". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
- 1 2 3 Collette, Doug (2014) "Paul Rodgers - The Royal Sessions", Glide, 10 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- 1 2 Ragonga, Mike (2014) "Paul Rodgers' Royal EPK Premiere, A Conversation With Astro Raph, Plus Exclusives From MODOC and Christine Rosander", Huffington Post, 28 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ Stevenson, Jane (2014) "Paul Rodgers: New album 'like coming full circle'", Toronto Sun, 29 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ "Paul Rodgers donates album profits to charity", Daily Express, 29 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ "Blues Albums", Billboard, w/e 1 March 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ "Paul Rodgers Chart History", billboard.com. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ "The Royal Sessions Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2014) "The Royal Sessions Review", Allmusic. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- 1 2 Shriver, Jerry (2014) "Listen Up: Notable new releases", USA Today, 4 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- 1 2 "Eric Church Tops This Week's CD Reviews", Winnipeg Sun, 16 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ Valentin, Michel (2014) "Les reprises royales de Paul Rodgers", Le Parisien, 26 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014
- ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 February 2014" (PDF) (1252). Australian Recording Industry Association. Pandora Archive. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- ↑ "Paul Rodgers | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- ↑ "Paul Rodgers – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Paul Rodgers. Retrieved 17 August 2016.