To truly understand the evolution of soul music in the ‘60s, you needed Otis Redding’s “Dictionary.”

In 1966, nobody was doing a better job defining new ground for the culture of soul music than Stax Records, and Redding was the label’s brightest star. Such was his personal charm and vocal power that it seemed he could make something palatable from even the oddest sources. A hackneyed Tin Pan Alley tune, a recycled Beatles tune, or an old country standard would seem to be highly illogical choices for a ‘soul’ singer who stood on the cutting edge, but Redding made it all work for him, often with stunning results. He personified everything he touched. His utter reinvention of “Try a Little Tenderness” stands as testament to his interpretive abilities, stirring the drab, outdated composition into a slow boil, then building to a fiery rave-up.

There was something genuinely compelling about his style that drew you in, and by 1966, he had grown increasingly confident not only in his talent as an interpretive artist, but also as a songwriter. Redding either wrote or co-wrote seven of the twelve songs here, including the stunning “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)” and “My Lover’s Prayer,” a development that pointed to a future of incredible promise. As fate would have it, though, this would be the last solo album of new material released in Redding’s short lifetime.

Tracks include:

1) Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)

2) I'm Sick Y'all

3) Tennessee Waltz

4) Sweet Lorene

5) Try a Little Tenderness

6) Day Tripper

7) My Lover's Prayer

8) She Put the Hurt on Me

9) Ton of Joy

10) You're Still My Baby

11) Hawg for You

12) Love Have Mercy

October 1966 - Billboard Charted #73