Artist:     Tad Robinson

Album:     Real Street

Label:     Severn Records

Release Date:     9.13.2019

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First things first; this is a true delight, an album of pure quality, beauty and surprising strength. Robinson’s vocal delivery is always full-on, forefront and soulful. And perhaps surprising, his harp playing is decidedly muted and tastefully takes second place to the demands of the album. The support musicianship is equally compelling at all times. In some ways, Real Street might be seen as a blues release but in reality it’s much more than that with snappy jazzy undercurrents and some downright fluid funky soul sounds assisted and focussed by the ever-evident horn section. And, as William Bell once told me, you can’t go wrong with a horn section.

Robinson is no newcomer, no way. A multi-award nominee, he’s a time-served professional with an assurance and confidence that pushes out on pretty much every one of the ten tracks making up the mix. In truth, this is one of those offerings that picks and perks you up from the opening bars and pulls you along soulfully to the very last drop. No mean feat in an often too-overblown blues/soul market these days.

Robinson succeeds where others could easily fail by never overdoing anything here. He lets the instruments and his backing musicians share the credits, highlights and hopefully the well-deserved plaudits throughout. Recorded in Memphis, this is an album that positively shouts and screams Memphis from the very off, a release that in many ways symbolises all that is the very best of soul-blues music, and features those most highly regarded aspects of traditional Memphis southern soul. Grab this one fast. It’s fabulous.

—Iain Patience