'Inez Foxx at Memphis' is as powerful and in-your-face as the cover shot... While the well-piped Foxx wraps some subtle vocals around the almost loungin' soul ballad "I Had a Talk With My Man" and the late-night, dreamy slowie "The Time", she's really at her finest when rippin' it up on the rawer cuts.
"The Lady, The Doctor and the Prescription" features the hardest rhythm; a ferocious back beat propels the entire song, with Inez going for some all-out wailing on the outro. The arrangement bestowed on Betty Lavette's seminal "Let Me Down Easy" is beautiful, Hayes-ian in its tasteful lavishness, and topped off with maybe Inez's finest vocal tour de force. "Crossing Over The Bridge" starts similarly epic, and then goes into a funky double-time rag. "Saving Me For a Rainy Day" is equally dynamic, construed as it is out of a mellow set-up and a rollickin', foot tappin' chorus.
Crackelin' country soul - by way of Memphis - comes in the guise of the comforting, soothing, mid-tempo head bobber "There's a Hand That's Reaching Out", featuring minimalist string arrangements and gorgeous backing vocals. And there's plenty of fatback funk in the bouncy "You Don't Want My Love", which stars some snappy guitar lines.
The strangest tune here arguably is "Mousa Muse"; with a funky, jazzy instrumental playing in the back, we can hear Memphis DJ Perry 'The Nightowl' Allen conducting a short interview with Inez. Her church roots, her brother Charlie and the Stax songwriting team (the then recently deceased Raymond Jackson gets a special mention) are the subject, with Inez further giving advice to young hopefuls.
A slamming, eclectic album filled with powerhouse Southern Soul.
Enjoy!
