Given that the discography of
Otis Blackwell is limited to a scant few items,
These Are My Songs takes on great singular historical significance in the annals of rock & roll.
Blackwell is the author or co-author of several well-known hits that launched the careers of many seminal rockers, not the least of whom was
Elvis Presley.
Blackwell himself can be easily compared to
Screamin' Jay Hawkins vocally, while in many ways is near to the sounds of
Chuck Berry stylistically. This 1976 recording has
Blackwell re-creating his songs in the manner of
Elvis, his singing paralleling that distinctive hunka-hunka drawl. There are also tunes from others who
Blackwell wrote for and influenced, with a backup band of musicians who sound much more contemporary in the electric Memphis blues and R&B of the
Stax studio sound. While based in the soul music of the '50s, this is rock & roll at its finest, stoked by high powered beats, the animated singing of
Blackwell, and the steel cased guitar work of
Gordon Inyard. Though
Blackwell is depicted on the album cover playing piano, he does not play keyboards on the recording, leaving that to
Chris Townes. While the band itself is relatively undistinguished, they provide plenty of propulsion and fire to keep
Blackwell's fires burning.
And make no mistake --
Blackwell is smokin' hot, on the classic R&B/swing/rock classic
"All Shook Up" and
"Return to Sender," the most famous hits of
Elvis that bookend the session, where he phrases exactly like
Presley.
"Don't Be Cruel" strays a bit from the original, but is quite typical in most respects, and faithful to its core values. Then there's the super fast
"Great Balls of Fire" with
Townes flying in a tribute to the man who made it a bigger hit,
Jerry Lee Lewis, and
Blackwell more animated.
"Handy Man" was a hit for the falsetto voiced
Jimmy Jones, but
Blackwell does it more like
Elvis, with off-putting whistling included, and
"Hey Little Girl," made famous by
Dee Clark, has a definite choogling
Bo Diddley style melted into it. The only non-
Blackwell composition is
Jerry Lieber and
Mike Stoller's
"Searchin'," initially from the repertoire of
the Coasters, less like
Elvis and hearkening back to his pure soul roots. A snake-like guitar riff and thick drum beats during
"Fever" -- also not written by
Blackwell -- lends to its sultry feel juxtaposed against his screaming upper volume singing, while a looser approach identifies the more obscure tunes like
"Back Trail" and
"Let's Talk About Us" that someone could easily update. The best track,
"Daddy Rollin' Stone," is pure
Blackwell, a sly and nasty, sexy and dirty blues that oozes with seductiveness, with
Inyard's repeat riffs building the intrigue and dark shadows a la cavernous vampire or voodoo inferences.
Blackwell is certainly a neglected figure, and where the royalty money for these songs went is anyone's guess, but they are finally available on CD for all to admire and treasure. ~ Michael G. Nastos
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