PAUL GRIFFIN: OLD TIME SOUL SAUCE

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Paul Griffin: Yes, Indeed + Wilson, Otis and Aretha
From Paul Griffin Pours On Some Soul Sauce (Somerset, 1968)

A pleasant surprise find at Mono Records. Griffin was a prolific studio session player with over 250 recording credits to his name but only a small handful of solo sides to his name. All featured Griffin on the Hammond and this album, in particular, was obviously inspired by the burgeoning golden era of soul music in the late ’60s.

I initially thought “Wilson, Otis and Aretha” might have been some kind of medley cut but instead, it reminds me more of the gospel standard “Come Out the Wilderness.” Meanwhile, “Yes, Indeed” is a lovely, slow burn of a blues ballad (this could be a cover of Ray Charles’s song by the same name but they don’t sound alike to my ears).