Description
Sometimes great things come in humblepackages. The ramshackle cover art for this1972 album makes it look like a bootleg, and therampant misspellings and inconsistencies in thealbum and song titles make it clear that whoeverwas in charge of proofreading at the Back Beatlabel must have taken the day off when the artwas circulated. But no matter…seldom has thesecular met the sacred with as much emotionalforce as on O.V. Wright’s A Nickel and a Nail andAce of Spades. That’s what makes it one of thegreatest Southern soul records ever waxed.Mind you, just about any record producedby Willie Mitchell and featuring the Hi Records Rhythm Section and theMemphis Horns will pack a punch. But it’s the raw emotion of Wright’s vocal delivery, thegospel styling stirred in with the pure, pleading anguish, that pushes this collection of songsover the top to sheer transcendence. Record buyers noticed, too; “A Nickel and a Nail,” “Aceof Spades,” and “Eight Men, Four Women,” three of the biggest hits O.V. Wright ever had,were all on this album. But really, the whole thing is a tour de force, which we’re reissuing on180-gram black vinyl to preserve its brilliance for posterity.
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