Otis Redding

I am sitting here absolutely stunned, wondering how I could have missed out on the beauty that is Otis Redding all these years. I had one of those moments where my ITunes was on shuffle and then a song caught my attention. I love when that happens, sometimes it happens with songs I’ve heard before and sometimes with songs that I just got but haven’t gotten around to listening to. The Otis Redding song that I was listening to was (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay. I’ve heard other soul singers like Sam Cooke, Aretha Frankin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, etc. but there is something different about Otis Redding’s voice that to me, is far beyond what they could do*. What I like best about southern soul is that there is a heavy emphasis on rhythm and blues, R&B and gospel. When most people think of gospel they think of gospel choirs singing in the background, but with southern soul they replace choirs with horns and I think that’s why I liked it so much. When I thought of gospel I always thought of choirs preaching but clearly that’s not always the case. Otis’ voice has so much soul and feeling that it’s almost impossible for me to say any of his music is bad. (Sittin’ On) just reminds me of getting out and doing something with your life, leaving behind your home to pursue your future endeavors yet at the same time maybe not feeling comfortable with the changes you made.

It’s clear that I don’t really know much about soul music, I’ll give you that, but that doesn’t stop me from listening to it. After all, there is no better way to learn about something than to immerse yourself in it. Cheers.


* Except for Aretha Franklins cover of Respect which is far more superior to the Otis Redding original.