Overton Vertis Wright ist sicher was Deep Soul Sänger betrifft auf den Champions League Rängen. Er ist stimmlich eher der rauhen Fraktion zuzurechnen, also nicht so smooth wie zum Beispiel Al Green, eher in die Syl Johnson Richtung. Er kommt definitiv aus der Gospel Richtung und ein wenig schwingt das hier auf jeden Fall noch mit. Hier sind seine beiden besten LPs (von 72 und 73) auf einer Disc, die mit 77 Minuten dann auch randvoll ist. Sowieso würde ich sagen, dass diese beiden Platten zu den besten aus diesem Segment gehören. Produziert hat Willie Mitchell vom Hi Records Label/Studio und die Backingband ist das absolute Sahnestück – die drei Hodges Brüder an Gitarre, Bass und Keyboards. Dazu Howard Grimes am Schlagwerk und die Memphis Horns mit Gebläse. Und der Groove dieser Band ist sowas von einzigartig. Möglicherweise nur in Japan mal auf CD erschienen und wohl bereits vergriffen. Das individuelle Vinl kostet im Original so zwischn 70 und 300€. Kommt als CD-R mit Cover in der Jewelbox.
“The golden era of Southern soul was essentially over by 1971, but thankfully no one told O.V. Wright about this; this album, which as the title suggests featured two of his biggest hits, showed that his gifts as a vocalist were near the peak of their strength, and this is Memphis-style R&B in the grand tradition. Willie Mitchell produced these sessions at his Royal Recording Studio in Memphis, with the Hi Records Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns providing the backing, and their performances lend the music a smooth, glorious burn like fine brandy, and are not unlike the work they did with Al Green, but reveal a darker and bluesier tone. Great as the band is, Wright headlines this show, and when he sings he dominates these sessions with grace and authority; the longing and hurt in his voice are a wonder to behold, and the burnished gospel influences in his voice meld the secular and the sacred with a powerful common belief, particularly on "He Made Woman for Man." The lovers' ache of "Don't Take It Away" and "When You Took Your Love from Me," and the blues-shot laments of "A Nickel and a Nail" and "Afflicted" are as powerful as Southern soul got in the early '70s. Wright was a master of this form, and while he would lose his life only nine years after this album was released, A Nickel and a Nail and Ace of Spades sounds like the work of an artist as powerful and vital as you could ask for. Brilliant music, despite cover art that makes this look like a low-budget bootleg.” (Allmusic about Nickel And A Nail. 4 1/2 out of 5)
“Hard-driving soul produced by Willie Mitchell.” (Allmusic about Memphis Unlimited. 4 1/2 out of 5)
