![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/alabama_mike.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAs the saying goes, don\u2019t judge a book \u2013 or an album \u2013 by its cover. Though the largely monochromatic photo and graphics that serve as the cover of Stuff I\u2019ve Been Through<\/i> is pedestrian and has the feel of a rush job, the music contained within is something completely different and far superior.<\/p>\n
The late 1960s and early 1970s were a fertile period for symphonic soul, a style of music that combined the street-level emotional intensity of classic soul with the sophisticated (and expensive) values of the modern recording studio. With the record industry of that era awash in cash, recording sessions often spared no expense employing top-level session players to deliver sweeping, ambitious arrangements. The results were often breathtaking, occasionally transcendent.<\/p>\n
These days, the process of making an album is much closer to the bone, and recording budgets are modest. But listeners might forget all that upon hearing Stuff I\u2019ve Been Through<\/i>. The soaring, clear vocals of Alabama Mike (born Michael Benjamin) is out front where it belongs, but there\u2019s a powerful sound supporting him. Kid Andersen \u2013 who produced the album at his Greaseland USA studio \u2013 is on hand to provide searing guitar work, and the other musicians are all superb, too. But what really elevates Stuff I\u2019ve Been Through<\/i> to the level of something truly special and remarkable is the \u201cbig\u201d instrumentation. Thick and emotionally evocative strings, tight and fulsome brass: those are some of the secret ingredients that make Stuff I\u2019ve Been Through<\/i> more than just a very good record.<\/p>\n
Another strength of the album is its variety. \u201cFat Shame Pt. 1\u201d answers the unasked question, \u201cWhat might Sly Stone sound like in 2023 if he hadn\u2019t drifted off into the ether?\u201d The tune is stuffed with humorous lyrics that underscore Alabama Mike\u2019s skill as a songsmith. In between the laugh lines (\u201cI\u2019m fat \/ I\u2019m lit \/ and you can\u2019t tell me shit\u201d) is an important message. If all that weren\u2019t enough, the tune is musically alluring, too.<\/p>\n
Jazz textures and sexy backing vocals enliven the simmering \u201cThis Ain\u2019t No DizneyLand,\u201d and the tune\u2019s rapid-fire lyrics suggest that in a different life, Mike could have found great success as a rapper. The swaggering \u201cKing Cock\u201d is as boastful (but not quite as racy) as its title suggests. The big band swings for the fences on the slow talking\/singing blues of \u201cPine Bluff, Arkansas (Big Fine Woman).\u201d While elsewhere on Stuff I\u2019ve Been Through<\/i>, Mike sticks to vocals, here he lays down some tasty harmonica as well.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a tiny bit of unnecessary sonic stereotyping on \u201cWoman on the Warpath,\u201d but the song itself is effective. Alabama Mike slips effortlessly into a \u201870s soul crooner persona on \u201cDamage Control,\u201d and the track\u2019s subtle instrumental and vocal backing is excellent. \u201cFat Shame Pt. 2\u201d is about as essential as \u201cpart two\u201d type tracks ever are, but it\u2019s harmless enough, and doesn\u2019t interrupt the album\u2019s flow.<\/p>\n
The record wraps with a pair of live tracks that demonstrate that for all the virtues of the studio and its players, Alabama Mike is an effective onstage performer. On Mississippi, he\u2019s joined by Rick Estrin on harmonica (and seemingly by the entire audience on chorus vocals). And he closes the set with a benediction for that crowd, the soulful and heartfelt gospel of \u201cGod is With You.\u201d The experience of listening to Stuff I\u2019ve Been Through<\/i> is something well worth going through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the saying goes, don\u2019t judge a book \u2013 or an album \u2013 by its cover. Though the largely monochromatic photo and graphics that serve as the cover of Stuff […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,49,65],"tags":[5193],"class_list":["post-25637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blues","category-new-release","category-review","tag-alabama-mike","cat-9-id","cat-49-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25639,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25637\/revisions\/25639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}