Album: Various Artists: Sweet Inspiration: the Songs of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham (Ace)

Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham were integral to the development of Southern soul, members of the cadre of young white kids who played on such quintessentially "black" recordings as "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Mustang Sally" and wrote countless soul hits.

This compilation features two dozen of their compositions by singers from all points of the musical compass, ranging from stone classics like Percy Sledge's "Out of Left Field" to oddities like Charlie Rich's take on "A Woman Left Lonely", demonstrating how easily their material crossed over from soul to country. Other voices featured include Solomon Burke, Etta James, Tony Joe White, Patti LaBelle, and an intriguing version of "Cry Like a Baby" by Arthur Alexander.

DOWNLOAD THIS Out of Left Field; Cry Like a Baby; Sweet Inspiration