Earl Thomas Intersection CD

Tennessee-born, Northern California-based Earl Thomas finally traveled to Memphis late last year where, with some help from great players, collaborators and a producer who knew when to intervene and when to stand clear, an album unlike any he'd done before was birthed. Produced by Memphis International's David Less and with backing by a group of Memphis all-stars, Intersection is an album that solidifies what began with Soul'd!, his first album for the label: Earl Thomas is a vocal force to be reckoned with. "I'm a vocal stylist and I use my voice just as any other instrument in the band. We all brought out the best in each other - all of us, the players and the background singers, alike, were strong and each brought something unique." The album combines elements of blues, soul, rock and, even, jazz with a freshness of approach and attitude. It's the place where all these things meet, hence the title that reflects the crossroads of styles and concepts. The songs for Intersection came from a variety of collaborations and sources including new compositions from a gifted team of Danish writers and one that's from the mind and pen of Earl and Memphis' own Earl Randle who has written for Denise LaSalle, O.V. Wright, Ann Peebles and Al Green. In keeping with the genre-breaking theme, there are two rock classics - T. Rex' "Bang A Gong" and Jagger & Richards' "Brown Sugar" that get fully "Earlized" here.No less an icon than Ike Turner, a talent scout without peer in American music, having discovered Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King and a certain Annie Mae Bullock who would later be known as Tina, is an Earl Thomas fan. Says Ike in the liner notes to Intersection: "Not everybody who sings gets my attention but this guy sure did," going on to characterize Earl as "one of the most entertaining people you'll ever meet."The mutual admiration led Earl to record "Working Together" that had been a hit for Ike and the former Ms. Bullock many year before. Its message of harmony takes on new meaning in the current day environment of polarizing politics. Says Earl: ""If I could get it heard in the White House I would have accomplished something. That song is so perfect for these times." Intersection is where things come together and Earl Thomas is the man who makes that kind of harmony his first order of business.

Personnel: Earl Thomas (vocals); Steve Selvidge (guitar); Jim Spake (saxophone); Scott Thompson (trumpet); Kurt Clayton (keyboards); Dave Smith (bass guitar); Edward Cleveland (drums).
Although Earl Thomas was initially marketed as a blues artist, he is really more of a soul singer in the classic 1970s Al Green mold, and nothing on Intersection, his third album (and second on the Memphis International label) falls very close to the blues camp. Recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Intersection mixes soul with rock and funk (and even some light Europop elements), and while Thomas isn't quite yet the honeyed singer that Green is, neither is he full of the kind of overdramatic melismatic keening that passes for contemporary soul these days. Retro it is, full of Stax-like horns and the kind of Hammond B3 organ sound that Hi Records specialized in, and Thomas holds his own here, finding interesting new corners in versions of Ike Turner's "Workin' Together" and a funked-up "Bang a Gong" (yep, the T. Rex song). The clear highlight on Intersection, though, is the final cut, a churning version of the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" that brings out more of the story and history inherent in the song, mostly because Thomas clearly enunciates the lyrics. We really haven't seen all that Thomas is capable of yet, and while Intersection is a solid album, even more than that, in spots it still feels transitional, and one gets the feeling that it might be the next one he records that will really put it all together. ~ Steve Leggett

Living Blues (p.54) - "Earl Thomas's meld of pop, light funk, and jazz-tinged R&B is reminiscent of the kind of crossover work often associated with '70s-era artists like Boz Skaggs."