Z.Z. Hill - The Brand New Z.Z. Hill '1971

Tracks list

Sounding like the middle ground between Bobby Blue Bland and Otis Redding, Z.Z.
Hill had only just begun to make an impression on the charts after a few singles
for Kent and United Artists when his contract was sold and he found himself
recording for Jerry Swamp Dogg Williams, a prospect he didnt especially
appreciate. Under duress, in a mere three days, Hill cut the vocal tracks for an
LP and a handful of singles, and that album, The Brand New Z.Z. Hill, proved to
be one of the most ambitious projects of his career. A song cycle about Hills
romantic dilemmas with two different women, Brand New featured dialogue
interludes along with ten songs, several of which were written by Williams with
Gary Bonds (who was leaving the U.S. out of his name at the time). Concept
albums may have been all the rage in 1970, but as a narrative piece, Brand New
leaves a certain amount to be desired, as the story doesnt flow very well and
the dialogue sections distract more than they bring the listener in. But the
material is strong — especially Faithful and True, Chokin Kind, and
Laughing Song (Ha Ha) — and Williams brought together a fine crew of
Muscle Shoals session players who give these sessions an updated Stax Records
feel that suits Hills gritty but heartfelt vocal style beautifully. If Williams
more ambitious production notions dont quite click on The Brand New Z.Z. Hill,
when it gets down to serving up some rough-and-ready Southern soul, this album
delivers the goods, and its a better fit (and more interesting) than the sound
of Hills best known work for Malaco in the 80s. Alive Naturalsounds 2013 reissue
includes eight bonus tracks, taken from the singles Hill cut at the tail-end of
the Brand New sessions, and if Put a Little Love in Your Heart was a bad match
for the blues/soul icon, Just as I Am and I Think Id Do It are just what the
doctor ordered. ~ Mark Deming

Tracklist:
 01. Z.Z. Hill - It Aint No Use (Blues at the Opera: Act I - Scene I) (04:53)
 02. Z.Z. Hill - Ha Ha (The Laughing Song) (Blues at the Opera: Act I - Scene
II) (04:31)
 03. Z.Z. Hill - Second Chance (Blues at the Opera: Act II - Scene I) (04:56)
 04. Z.Z. Hill - Our Love is Getting Better (Blues at the Opera: Act II - Scene
II) (04:02)
 05. Z.Z. Hill - Faithful and True (Blues at the Opera: Act III - Finale)
(03:16)
 06. Z.Z. Hill - The Chokin Kind (03:07)
 07. Z.Z. Hill - Hold Back (One Man at a Time) (03:06)
 08. Z.Z. Hill - A Man Needs a Woman (a Woman Needs a Man) (03:18)
 09. Z.Z. Hill - Early in the Morning (02:49)
 10. Z.Z. Hill - I Think Id Do It (02:14)

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