William Bell is probably the most woefully underappreciated artist in the Stax Records stable. Primarily a ballad singer,
Bell avoided the charismatic stage histrionics of singers like
Otis Redding and
Wilson Pickett in favor of a more subtle and melodic approach. He was also a gifted songwriter, penning in conjunction with his writing partner
Booker T. Jones (of
MGs fame) a handful of country-soul classics, including "You Don't Miss Your Water," a hit for
Bell in 1961, and "Born Under a Bad Sign," which became the theme song for blues giant
Albert King after his version was released in 1967.
Bell wasn't afraid to mix pure country elements into the deep soul stew, as "You Don't Miss Your Water" shows, and his 1967 hit "Everybody Loves a Winner" is as much
Merle Haggard as it is
Otis Redding. "Eloise (Hang on in There)," another
Bell/
Jones collaboration, sounds like a great, lost
Four Tops song, and is one of the many highlights on this revealing anthology, which works not only as an introduction to this underrated artist, but also as a solid survey of his top moments. ~ Steve Leggett