Soul great Solomon Burke has been practically prolific in his golden years. He made three albums for Shout! Factory in the past several years, and is now celebrating his 70th birthday (last month) with the release of his first recordings for the E1 Music (formerly Koch) label. Any project that Burke graces with his supple, powerful vocal is worth a listen, but this album also benefits from production by the late, great Willie Mitchell. It’s one of the last projects that the legendary producer/studio owner cut before he passed away this past January, and it’s got his Memphis soul signature all over it.
Nothing’s Impossible has those awesome Hi Records horn sounds—funky, subtle or punchy when they need to be—those tight rhythms, sweet keyboards and Burke’s spectacular voice lifting each song to great heights. Even questionable songs like the cover of Anne Murray’s hit “You Needed Me” have real soul in Burke and Mitchell’s hands.
Producer: Willie Mitchell. Engineer: Lawrence Mitchell, Willie Mitchell (mixing). Studio: Royal Recording Studio (Memphis). Mastering: Greg Calbi/Sterling Sound (NYC).
