Taylored In Silk (Reissue)

From the early 1960s to the mid-1970s, the Stax label dominated soul, R&B, gospel, and related genres with a stable of artists who have since become iconic figures in the history of American popular music. Now a part of the Concord Music Group, the Stax catalog is a treasure trove of some of the most visceral and influential recordings of the 20th century. Stax Remasters is a series of reissues that cast a new light on classic Stax recordings with the help of 24-bit remastering, rare bonus tracks, and new liner notes to frame the recordings in a historical context.

Released in 1973, Taylored in Silk is an ideal example of Taylor's newly expanded and embellished sound, crafted with the help of producer Don Davis, who had united with Taylor a few years earlier, according to the liner notes by Bill Dahl. "As far as Davis was concerned, a fundamental change of sound was in order for Johnnie," says Dahl. "Gone were the savory slow blues in favor of a hard-edged, uptempo attack that energized [Taylor's] sound like never before." The issue could well have been regional marketing as much as musicality. "The story goes that Davis was brought in to forge a sound that would be sort of a combination between Northern and Southern soul, and capture the best of both Stax and Motown," says Phillips. "He certainly hit a home run in his work with Johnnie Taylor, especially on this album." Taylored in Silk underwent "a lot of overdubbing," Dahl notes, "but the end result was a splendidly conceived soul album boasting three major R&B hits within its eight selections...Blues wailer or soul philosopher, silky or gritty, Johnnie Taylor will always be revered as one of the greatest southern soul singers of 'em all." The six bonus tracks included on this reissue were previously released as singles in the early '70s.