Stax shows off Milton's variety of talents through 14 songs. Although none of them piqued my adoration like "Let Me Down Easy," all have their own face. The fifth song on the album, "Blind Man," also recorded live, welcomes the high-pitched tremor. At the end of the feat, the audience cheers him on, adding to the suspense he's created by this magical talent he has. He sings dialogue to the audience, at one point singing, "I bet most of ya, most of ya here tonight (brief pause) are loving someone else's baby."
The crowd responds with applause and cheers. Obviously, print doesn't account for the eminence of his performance.
"The Thrill is Gone," a better known work of Milton's follows "Blind Man" and sets the melancholy mood within the first 10 seconds. It follows what appears to be Milton's music theme of a woman who can't seem to keep herself to one man. Except in this song, the thrill is most definitely gone. He repeats: "I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free," and basically it's liberating, he's over this whore of a woman who makes an appearance in all his songs. Finally, the album is rounded out with a number of similarly-themed songs, including the relatively upbeat "Tin Pan Alley," classic "Blue Monday," and subdued "Little Bluebird."
What makes Milton's music so profound is not only his remarkable voice and all-out musical talent, but his ability to connect on a genuine level with his audience. On his edition of the "Stax Profiles" series - especially with the preponderance of live cuts - that ability is very much in evidence.
In celebration of the recently-released Stax Profiles series, the Modern Pea Pod is hosting Stax Records Week. In the following days, we'll cover discs by Otis Redding, Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Rance Allen, Johnnie Taylor, and the Staple Singers, all of them specially compiled by noted musical figures from Elvis Costello to Steve Cropper. Watch this page for updates!
Reviewed by Laura Misjak
Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
This article has been placed at the Advance.net websites, a site affiliated with about 12 newspapers.
One such site is here.
2 - Duane
Well, live and learn. I thought Little Milton was the kid from Tull's Thick as a Brick.
3 - -E
Congrats, this article was picked for one of this week's Ed Picks. Keep up the good work.