This early
Solomon Burke album is named for the opening cut, his take on
Wilson Pickett's "If You Need Me," which was a successful single for
Burke, almost reaching number one on the R&B charts. Recorded between late 1959 and early 1963, these mostly mid-tempo songs find
Burke's somewhat gritty pleas at home in sultry, bluesy surroundings ("Send Me Some Loving") and sweetened up for the occasional exotica-tinged arrangement ("Tonight My Heart She Is Crying"). It's unfortunate that the sound was not remastered for the late-'90s reissue by Sequel.