Folk Songs In Soul Sound

The folk boom still had enough energy in 1964 to pull in prodigious talents in the soul community — Sam Cooke's recording of "The Riddle Song" was one example, and Folk Songs by Jerry Butler was another. The album title is a little misleading — Butler and arranger Phil Moore plunged into blues and spirituals that were mostly pretty far removed from the central folk-pop repertory of the period, and the album ended up being far more of a soulful blues album with some sophisticated low-key backing than a "folk" album. "Frisco's Foggy Dew" is a highlight, as is the mournful "When I Lost My Baby"; Butler isn't as comfortable on "Little Ole Lite," but "Alberta" is a supremely moody, low-key triumph, and his soaring rendition of "John B." (aka "Sloop John B.") adds several wrinkles that the Beach Boys missed completely in their hit rendition; and "Motherless Child" reaches places that Richie Havens never got to with his version (aka "Freedom"). And what Butler does on "Red Dress" with the melody "Greensleeves" is worth the price of admission. Moore's arrangements and Butler's vocals work well together, and the result is a soul classic borne of the folk boom.