Despite featuring an organic mix of straightforward R&B, Into My Soul still finds alto saxophonist Kirk Whalum only threatening to make a smooth jazz masterpiece.
On what is ostensibly his Memphis album, Whalum -- a Memphis native -- does evince a Stax-style soulfulness; unfortunately, he keeps the arrangements and his own playing so mild and light that nothing really ever sticks with you.
Given that the album largely showcases a more natural, acoustic production style, it is disappointing that such tracks as the cover of the Isaac Hayes nugget "Hold On! I'm Comin'" are marred by predictably cheesy synthesizer backgrounds and unnecessary drum machine programming.
Instead you only get a few standouts, including the title track, a funky midtempo ballad that recalls the simple elegance of Grover Washington, Jr. Similarly, the funky "Hoddamile (Hot or Mild)" gets by nicely with a catchy melody and guest spots by trumpeter Rick Braun and guitarist Norman Brown.
If only the whole album were as good as the raw and soulful "That's All Right" -- featuring vocals by Kevin Whalum -- which turns the Arthur Crudup-penned Elvis classic into a raw Tony! Toni! Toné!-meets-Sam Cooke rave-up, Into My Soul might have been more than just pleasant.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do You Feel MeGarry Goin, David Porter, Kirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | Into My SoulGarry Goin, David Porter, John Stoddart, Kirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 3 | Another Beautiful DayGarry Goin, David Porter, Kirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | I Loved You in MemphisIsaac Hayes, Benita Hill, Kirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum, Isaac Hayes, Wendy Moten | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | Memphis ReasonKirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Club ParadiseGarry Goin, David Porter, Kirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | You Had Me at HelloKirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum, Maurice White | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 8 | Hold On I'm Coming | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 9 | Hoddamile | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | That's Alright | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | Me, Me And You | Kirk Whalum | Play | 08:38 | 19 MB | 55 MB |
| 53 mins | 123 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 346 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Al | Bass |
| 2 | J. Blackfoot | Vocals |
| 3 | Rick Braun | Guest Artist |
| 4 | Norman Brown | Guest Artist |
| 5 | BWB | Featured Artist, Primary Artist |
| 6 | Luis Conte | Percussion |
| 7 | Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup | Composer |
| 8 | Blair Cunningham | Drums |
| 9 | Greg Curtis | Vocals |
| 10 | Tyrone Dickerson | Organ, Soloist |
| 11 | Randall Englund | Photography |
| 12 | Marcus Finney | Drums |
| 13 | Garry Goin | Composer |
| 14 | Steve Hall | Mastering |
| 15 | Isaac Hayes | Composer, Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 16 | Benita Hill | Composer |
| 17 | Dave Hudzik | Assistant Engineer |
| 18 | Mark Larson | Art Direction |
| 19 | Stephen Maples | Vocals (Background) |
| 20 | Rod McGaha | Trumpet |
| 21 | Señor McGuire | Photography |
| 22 | Candace Miller | Vocals (Background) |
| 23 | Greg Moore | Guitar |
| 24 | Wendy Moten | Featured Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 25 | Floyd Newman | Sax (Baritone) |
| 26 | Phil Perry | Vocals |
| 27 | Willie Pervere | Tracking |
| 28 | Matt Pierson | Executive Producer |
| 29 | David Porter | Composer, Producer |
| 30 | Steve Potts | Drums |
| 31 | David Rideau | Mixing Engineer |
| 32 | Michael Ripoll | Guitar |
| 33 | Hal Sacks | Engineer |
| 34 | Lorita Shields | Fashion Stylist |
| 35 | Lester Snell | Keyboards, Organ |
| 36 | John Stoddart | Composer, Keyboards, Soloist, Vocals (Background) |
| 37 | Kevin Whalum | Featured Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 38 | Kirk Whalum | Composer, Keyboards, Narrator, Primary Artist, Producer, Programming, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) |
| 39 | Kyle Whalum | Bass |
| 40 | Maurice White | Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |