Music Review: Spooner Oldham, Pot Luck

By Melissa Bratcher

Muscle Shoals keyboard stalwart Spooner Oldham (who has possibly the greatest name of all time) has had his fingers on myriad classic tracks. Co-writing hits like the Boxtops “Cry Like A Baby,” Percy Sledge’s “Out Of Left Field,” and James and Bobby Purify’s “I”m Your Puppet” with collaborator Dan Penn might be enough to secure a spot in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which he was inducted into in 2009), but he also lent his keyboards to music from Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, the Stones, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He’s frequently toured with Neil Young and in 2007, toured with the Drive-By Truckers. His pedigree is incredible.

It’s curious, then, that his solo album appeared and vanished without a trace. Until now, of course. Light In The Attic Records have reissued Oldham’s 1972 collection, Pot Luck,on vinyl and for the first time on CD, complete with extensive liner notes. The songs chosen present an interesting mix: side A is compositions that Oldham wrote (both by himself and with Dan Penn and/or Freddy Weller), and the B-side is an opus of songs that Oldham played on for other artists, each track blending into the next, ending with a gorgeous “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” soulful and a bit funky, with some incredible backing vocals.

Spooner Oldham’s singing voice is tonally similar to Jesse Winchester’s, though Oldham’s control of that particular instrument isn’t exactly his strong suit. There are some issues with pitch, but the feeling is there. Besides, his singing voice isn’t why we’re here. Oldham’s incredible keyboard work is on display, from the “take-‘em-to-church” organ of “The Lord Loves A Rolling Stone” to the killer soul of “Julie Brown’s Forest,” with big Stax horns and a lively bass line.

It’s a charming album. The country-flavored “Life’s A Package Of Puzzles” bats at eternal questions and ends up with the point that a “week of play / only makes a month of bills” before trailing off to Oldham’s delightful but brief humming interlude. “1980 (Keep On Smiling)” marries pastoral acoustic guitar and harmonica to angry creeping keyboards. The feeling of impending dystopia is palpable and eerie—the collapse of society is told in a most soothing, just off way.

The second half of Pot Luck is a mostly instrumental treasure. “When A Man Loves A Woman” is elevated by piano and organ into a hymn-like feeling with sharp horns. This melds into “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” with a ripping trombone solo over Oldham’s organ that sways just right before becoming a furious piano pounder. “Kentucky Grass” is, of course, a bluegrass rave up with percussion mimicking horse hooves, that eventually becomes a bright, brass-driven “Cry Like A Baby.” Aretha Franklin is replaced by a trombone on “Respect,” loose and funky with the “sock it to me” line played as a tinkle on the high keys of Oldham’s piano. There are snippets of songs like, “The New World” and the sweet “My Friend” before the side wraps up with the excellent “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” This is some good stuff.

With the renewed interest (as if it ever left) in the Muscle Shoals sound, the time is right for the reissuing of Spooner Oldham’s Pot Luck. It’s a portrait of a brilliant musician, getting a chance to strut his stuff in the spotlight for a moment.

Pot Luck was released by Light In The Attic on September 18.