Tate, Howard
A Portrait Of Howard
Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Janis Joplin, Ry Cooder, the James Gang and South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela are just some of the artists who covered songs by unsung R&B vocal great Howard Tate in the 1960s. After a three-decade descent into drugs and homelessness, a clean and sober Tate re-emerged a few years ago with his remarkably soulful voice stronger and more supple than ever. On his second album in the past three years, Tate is joined by such musical admirers as Lou Reed, jazz greats Carla Bley and Steve Swallow, former Frank Zappa band member Tom Fowler and Elvis Costellos rhythm section. Whether belting out a gospel rave-up, such as his self-penned "Solid Ground," or breathing new life into weathered gems by Reed ("How Do You Think It Feels"), Bley ("The Lord Is Listenin to Ya, Hallelujah"), Nick Lowe ("Homewrecker") or Randy Newman ("Ill Be Home" and "Louisiana 1927"), Tate soars time and again, as befits a soul survivor of the highest order