Dan Penn Albums (3)
'Moments from This Theater'
Release Date 9/14/1999
Tracks 14
Label Proper
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What The Critics Say
After starting out in Muscle Shoals Alabama and then moving on to Memphis to work with Chips Moman at American Studios, Dan Penn proceeded to co-write and produce several '60s soul hits for artists like Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, James Carr, and blue-eyed soul band the Box Tops. Some of the classics Penn and Memphis/Muscle Shoals' studio veteran Spooner Oldham wrote include "Cry Like a Baby," "Sweet Inspiration," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "The Dark End of the Street," and "I'm Your Puppet." These and several other of their tunes are featured on Moments From This Theatre, a collection of live duets taken from 1998 dates in Dublin, London, and South Petherton, Somerset. With Oldham laying down a tasty soul base on the Wurlitzer piano and Penn strumming easeful guitar chords and singing in his sweetly powerful way, the duo glide through 14 gospel-inflected, country-soul gems, eloquently touching on southern living, loneliness, and the joys and trials of love. There's also a good dose of humor here in songs like "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" and "Memphis Women and Chicken." An intimate and inspiring recording by two of the unsung giants of southern soul. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
'Nobody's Fool'
Release Date 3/17/1997
Tracks 10
Label Repertoire Records
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What The Critics Say
If James Brown is Soul Brother Number One, you can make a very credible case for Dan Penn being number two. The Alabama native has had a hand in writing a fair number of classic soul songs, and here he commits his versions of them to tape for the first time, recording, of course, in Muscle Shoals, with their fabulous house band, and a horn section including former Memphis Horn member Wayne Jackson. It's a tall order Penn sets himself, offering himself up for comparison with greats like James Carr, Aretha Franklin, and James and Bobby Purify, who have sung his songs -- and that's just the start of the list. However, he comes out very well, beginning with a quiet take on"The Dark End of the Street," coming across like a note to a secret lover, rather than a cry of pain. "It Tears Me Up" conveys the anguish,"You Left the Water Running" bounces in its pain, and "Do Right Woman Do Right Man" is advice to a friend, instead of Aretha's extra freedom cry for equal rights."I'm Your Puppet" becomes a sigh of resignation. Given tracks like that, the other songs will inevitably suffer by comparison, and, to be fair, "Memphis Women and Chicken" is little more than a throwaway. But even the lesser-known material from a craftsman-like Penn is head and shoulders above most of the competition, and "Zero Willpower," a song that he took 20 years to complete, has soul classic written all over it, as good as the greatest hits. Penn can't just write 'em, he can perform 'em too, in a manner as soulful as the greats, as this record shows. The man deserves to be an American musical icon. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
