A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhood's End

As with virtually everything he's ever released, Al Kooper's A Possible Projection of the Future/Childhood's End is superbly produced — it also sounds a bit different from his other early solo albums, having been recorded mostly in London rather than in New York City. Musically, it's a tiny bit more shaky than one is accustomed to, at least for the first track. Then he slips into a soul groove that is still one of the most extraordinary sounds you'll ever hear from any white artist. Whether he's doing an original song or covering Curtis Mayfield ("The Monkey Time"), Smokey Robinson ("Swept for You Baby"), or Bob Dylan ("The Man in Me"), Kooper is a figure transformed and transcendent through most of this album, delivering an achingly poignant and charismatic performance. The opening number is the only weak moment on the album, a cold, mechanical number that doesn't fit with anything else here, but beyond that everything is essential listening.