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Blue Night (Percy Sledge album)

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1994 studio album by Percy Sledge
Blue Night
Studio album by Percy Sledge
Released1994, France
1995, United States
RecordedMarch 1994
StudioCherokee (Hollywood)
GenreSoul, R&B
LabelSky Ranch
Pointblank/Virgin
ProducerBarry Goldberg, Saul Davis
Percy Sledge chronology
It Tears Me Up: The Best of Percy Sledge
(1992) 		Blue Night
(1994) 		Shining Through the Rain
(2004)

Blue Night is an album by the American musician singer Percy Sledge, released in 1994. Sledge considered it his first album since the early 1970s.

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album".

Production

Recorded in Los Angeles in March 1994, the album was produced by Barry Goldberg and Saul Davis. Steve Cropper, Bobby Womack, and Mick Taylor contributed guitar parts to the album.

Blue Night's liner notes were penned by Jerry Wexler.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Indianapolis Star
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide
USA Today

The Ottawa Citizen thought that Sledge's "story songs are told from an adult perspective, unflinching and real as rain." USA Today wrote that Sledge breathes "emotional fire into the Temptations' 'I Wish It Would Rain', Otis Redding's 'I've Got Dreams to Remember' and James Carr's 'These Ain't Raindrops'." Marc D. Allan, of The Indianapolis Star, considered the album "easily the best record I've heard this year," writing that "the music is live and passionate, with a minimum of strings and clutter in the arrangements but enough horns and female backing vocals to punctuate the lyrics."

The Guardian noted that "Steve Cropper leads the simpatico, understated accompaniment to complete a polished update of steamy, old-style southern soul." The Vancouver Sun determined that Blue Night "might be better considered as urban blues than soul/R&B." The Irish Times wrote: "Gravelled by age and experience, this guy just breathes in the direction of lyrics and potential sap turns to music poetry of the most potent kind."

In a retrospective article, Rolling Stone praised Sledge's cover of Fats Domino's "Goin' Home", writing that, "goosed along by slide guitar from former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, shows that if Sledge wanted to, he could've rocked as hard as any other Louisiana R&B singer." MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called Sledge "emotionally centered and nothing less than inspiring."

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Got Away with Love"Pat Robinson, Rocky Burnette4:15
2."Love Comes Knockin'"David Malloy, Gregg Sutton3:42
3."Why Did You Stop"Carla Olson4:40
4."I Wish It Would Rain"Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, Roger Penzabene3:12
5."Blue Night"Hasse Huss, Mikael Rickfors4:48
6."These Ain't Raindrops"Quinton Claunch2:48
7."Your Love Will Save the World"Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb3:47
8."First You Cry"Buddy Flett, David Egan3:56
9."Going Home Tomorrow"Alvin E. Young, Antoine Domino 
10."The Grand Blvd."Carla Olson, George Green5:40
11."I've Got Dreams to Remember"Joe Rock, Otis Redding, Zelma Redding4:09

References

  1. ^ "Percy Sledge records again". Edmonton Journal. 20 Aug 1994. p. B4.
  2. ^ Morris, Chris (Apr 22, 1995). "Sledge looks for comeback with Virgin's 'Blue Night'". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 16. p. 11.
  3. "Percy Sledge Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  4. "Percy Sledge obituary". The Guardian. April 15, 2015. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  5. Herndon, David (16 June 1995). "Rave On: When Percy Sledge Loves a Song". Newsday. p. B25.
  6. "Percy Sledge". Grammy Awards. November 23, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. Buckley, Peter (September 29, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  8. "Blue Night". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  9. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 522.
  10. ^ Allan, Marc D. (9 June 1995). "Sledge hammers out 11 outstanding tracks". The Indianapolis Star. p. D7.
  11. ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 519.
  12. ^ Gundersen, Edna (13 June 1995). "Sledge's beautiful 'Blue'; Glass' imaginative 'Beast'". USA Today. p. 7D.
  13. Ward, Bruce (28 Feb 1995). "Sledge's soul as sound today as it was in '60s". Ottawa Citizen. p. B8.
  14. Spencer, Neil (20 Nov 1994). "Pop Releases". The Observer Review Page. The Guardian.
  15. Armstrong, John (16 Mar 1995). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. C8.
  16. "Popular". Sound & Vision. The Irish Times. 24 Feb 1995. p. 14.
  17. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (April 15, 2015). "Percy Sledge: 10 Essential Tracks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
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