Julius Pittman and the Revival - Bucket List (2010)

It's easy to see how someone would confuse blues and Southern soul because there is a great deal of overlap. Blues singers can make Southern soul records and vice versa. And Southern soul act Julius Pittman and the Revival have at least one blues song on Bucket List, their new album - a cover of the Albert Collins classic "A Good Fool is Hard To Find,"

It would also be tempting to refer to the music on Bucket List as a retro soul record, but in the minds of many fans of the genre, Southern soul never went away. Bucket List becomes another in the ever growing catalog of Southern soul records. Bucket List is also a good representative of the genre, featuring covers of Southern soul classics such as "Tired of Being Alone," by Al Green - perhaps the most famous Southern soul singer. The album also includes a cover of "Does Your Mama Know About Me," a song written by Tommy Chong.  Both songs showcase the band's ability to address the topic of love in its varying themes and tempos.

The band reveals its fun and funky side on the bouncy tune "Sideshow," an original which tells the story of a down home guy who finds himself at a party with a bunch of snobs. The horn work in that song will bring to mind the work of iconic 1970s bands such as Tower of Power . One of my favorite parts of this album is that Pittman and his band mates use the music to show the debt that Southern soul owes to both gospel and blues music. Modern music seems to have moved so far away from those genres that it is somehow hard to remember that gospel and blues is the root of it all. Bucket List is roots music that confirms that the Southern soul genre is alive, vibrant and well.

Vocals: 2.5 stars
Music: 3.5 stars
Lyrics: 3.0 stars
Production: 3.0 stars
Soultracks call: Recommended

By Howard Dukes