The Royal Sessions is a studio album by Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company fame. Released on 4 February 2014, it consists of ten covers of blues, rhythm & blues and soul songs recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee with local musicians and produced by Perry A. Margouleff.[2][3] Rodgers chose songs for the album that inspired him in his youth.[3][4]
The Royal Sessions | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 February 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013, Royal Studios, Memphis | |||
Genre | Blues, soul | |||
Length | 41:34 | |||
Label | 429 Records, Pie Records | |||
Producer | Perry A. Margouleff [1] | |||
Paul Rodgers chronology | ||||
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Rodgers announced before the album's release that he would be donating all proceeds from it to the Stax Music Academy, an after-school music programme in Memphis, stating that he wanted to "pay the proceeds to the people who gave us this music".[5]
The album entered the Billboard Blues Albums chart at number one, and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 81.[6][7]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100[8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Glide | 8/10[2] |
USA Today | [10] |
Winnipeg Sun | [11] |
Steven Thomas Erlewine, reviewing the album for AllMusic, describes it as "enjoyable".[9] Glide magazine awarded it 8/10.[2] USA Today gave it three stars out of four, with Jerry Shriver saying that "Rodgers' devotion rings true".[10] The Winnipeg Sun gave it two and a half stars, describing it as "Enjoyable, but not essential."[11] Le Parisien writer Michel Valentin viewed the familiarity of the songs as a drawback.[12]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Thank You" | Isaac Hayes, David Porter | 3:10 |
2. | "Down Don’t Bother Me" | Albert King | 2:17 |
3. | "I Can’t Stand the Rain" | Don Bryant, Bernard Miller, Ann Peebles | 4:05 |
4. | "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)" | Jerry Butler, Otis Redding | 5:36 |
5. | "That's How Strong My Love Is" | Roosevelt Jamison | 3:15 |
6. | "Walk On By" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 6:49 |
7. | "Any Ole Way" | Steve Cropper, Otis Redding | 2:38 |
8. | "It's Growing" | Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson | 3:05 |
9. | "Born Under a Bad Sign" | William Bell, Booker T. Jones | 4:09 |
10. | "I’ve Got Dreams to Remember" | Otis Redding | 6:31 |
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 92 |
UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 58 |
US Billboard 200[15] | 81 |
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