CD Review: Little Milton - Stax Profiles

Little Milton's pseudonym hardly does him justice. The blues, R&B and soul performer's voice is by no means little. That rasp, that deep voice of a man done wrong, is all too available to nestle up to on the Stax Records release of his songs. Not only does the Mississippi native's voice melt in your ears, but the former James Milton Campbell has been strumming away on the guitar since the age of 12. Three years later, he was picking up paid gigs at area venues.

The blues was in Little Milton's blood - his father, Big Milton, was a sharecropper and Delta blues performer. And, speaking of blood, Little Milton owes some of his success to Ike Turner, who, after hearing Milton perform, had a hand in landing Milton his first contract with Sun Records in 1953. From there Milton bobbed through the waves of various music labels before landing at Stax in 1971. He had already acquired a number of hits at the Checker label, but continued to expand his sound by incorporating different influences into his music during his four-year stint at Stax.

The Blues Hall-of-Famer busts out his best early on the recently released Stax Profiles record with the live version of "Let Me Down Easy," the best song on the album. The slow beat and hushed instrumental accompaniment really show the strength of Milton's voice. The powerful belts of the soul great are the warm slippers we wear after a long day, or the menthol cigarette we smoke after dealing with the pricks of the world. Listening to that voice is an indulgence.

"Let Me Down Easy" makes that agitation and frustration that no one understands relatable to all colors and creeds. If that isn't reason enough to spend some alone time with the song, Milton's voice strikes this subtle, insanely high note about five minutes into the song and he holds it for... wait for it... wait for it... 22 seconds! And then he just lets it rip. Now tell me that's not spectacular.

As a new listener, after hearing "Easy," I'm in for the long haul. "I Can't Quit You Baby" follows "Easy," and goes through two and a half minutes of Milton's guitar riff before the familiar voice finds its way to your soul. Milton, who passed away in October 2005, was an excellent live performer and it's obvious through this version of "I Can't Quit You," which was also recorded live in the early 1970s. He ends the almost eight-minute song with this crazy guitar-plucking the likes of which I've never heard before. Literally plucking. He made plucking sound good. That's talent.

Article Author: Modern Pea Pod

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