Solomon Burke Live at Montreux 2006
Solomon Burke
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Released: July 09, 2013
Reviewed: July 07, 2013

It always saddens me when I am a fan of an artist and know that they are greatly underappreciated or unknown despite their immense talent.  In my book, the late, great Solomon Burke is one of those talents.  Burke was one of the pioneers of Soul music in the late fifties and early sixties, blending R&B, Gospel and Blues to create a new and distinctive sound that would be the dominant force in black music through to the mid-seventies.

Described by Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records as “the greatest male soul singer of all time,” Burke had his greatest success in the first half of the sixties but carried on performing right up until his death in 2010. Solomon Burke played at Montreux several times in the 2000s and was always popular with the festival crowd. The great folks at Eagle Rock Entertainment captured a performance by Burke at the Montreux Jazz Festival and has made it available to his eternally appreciative fans.  This performance from 2006 showcases his magnificent voice, his humor and his spirituality on a selection of classic Soul, Gospel and Blues songs for the ultimate goodtime party!

This was one of the last Solomon Burke performances to be filmed and features many classic hits including Cry To Me, Got To Get You Off My Mind, Down In The Valley, He’ll Have To Go, Don’t Give Up On Me, None Of Us Are Free, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, and many more.

The line-up for this show featured, Solomon Burke (vocals); Sam Mayfield (lead guitar); Moyes Lucas (drums); Milard Jackson (keyboards); Jack Guitar (rhythm guitar); Stony Dixon (bass); Daniel Moretto (trumpet); Joshua Lempkins (trombone); Carl Vickers (trumpet, saxophone); Pierre Paolo Valero (alto saxophone); Kiana Reese (backing vocals) and Candy Burke (backing vocals).

While Mr. Burke will never, ever be forgotten, his Live At Montreux 2006 is a great way to remember him.

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