ALBUM: ‘Feel Like Going Home: The Songs of Charlie Rich’
Charlie Rich is best remembered as the “Silver Fox” who crooned his way through such Countrypolitan hits as “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl.” Growing up, that was the Rich I knew so well, his dulcet tones being the perfect accompaniment to Billy Sherrill’s lush Nashville Sound productions.
What I wasn’t aware of was Rich’s eclectic early years when he was signed by the legendary Sam Phillips to Philips International, a subsidiary of Sun Records, in the early 1960s. Rich scored a few hits during this time, most notably his Elvis-like single “Lonely Weekends,” but his earlier recorded output was actually an extraordinary range of material that spanned many genres — from jazz and blues to rockabilly and pop. Charlie Rich proved that he was far more than some Elvis wannabe: a superb and diverse songwriter in his own right.
It wasn’t until the early ’70s, when Rich turned soulful balladeer, that he achieved the success he deserved. But this rather lovely new album, Feel Like Going Home: The Songs of Charlie Rich, pays tribute to those early, underappreciated years. The tracks were recorded at Sam C. Phillips Recording studio in Memphis, the very place where Rich originally recorded his version of these songs.
Another nice touch is that the piano used by Rich on the song “Break Up” is used by his son, Charlie Jr., on his version of his father’s song. You can tell this is a tribute album made with a huge amount of love and respect, clearly showing how Rich was so much more than just his biggest hits.
The artists on display here aren’t exactly household names; the best-known being singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale and country rocker Shooter Jennings (son of Waylon), but that’s no bad thing at all: the songs are the real stars and every artist more than does justice to re-interpreting and paying tribute to some of Rich’s best songs from this era.
Lauderdale kicks the whole thing off with a rocking version of Rich’s first hit, “Lonely Weekends,” adding some tough country licks and a stomping beat, showcasing the timelessness of Rich’s songwriting by sounding utterly contemporary. The Malpass Brothers give a lonesome twang to “Caught in the Middle,” while Will Kimbrough heaps on the heartbreak on “Sittin’ And Thinkin’” — songs that could have easily fit with the best of his later career.
Later, there’s some foot-tapping rockabilly with Juliet Simmons Dinallo on “Whirlwind”; Charlie Rich, Jr. showcases he inherited his father’s piano-playing skills on the rollicking Jerry Lee Lewis-esque “Break Up”; and Susan Marshall’s gorgeous, soulful voice turns “Time and Again” into a gospel-tinged blues number.
Not surprisingly, Shooter Jennings’ Springsteen-esque country-rock take on “Rebound” is one of the album’s highlights. Also great is Johnny Hoy’s bluesy take on “Don’t Put No Headstone on My Grave.” Finally, Kevin Connolly’s soulful version of “Feel Like Going Home” ends the album with one of Rich’s biggest hits, rounding out a hugely fun and beautifully performed tribute that the man himself would no doubt have been hugely proud of.
Tom Waits once sang, “The radio’s spitting out Charlie Rich… he sure can sing, that son of a bitch.” Well, this great tribute proves that he sure could write a hell of a good tune, too.
Feel Like Going Home: The Songs Of Charlie Rich is available now from Memphis International Records.
