Although Redding was a great songwriter (he gave us Aretha's "Respect" and Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music"--'nuff said), he partially made a reputation for himself as a great interpreter of other people's material, ranging from Beatles and Stones covers to "Louie Louie" to standards like "Try a Little Tenderness," which had originally been a hit for Bing Crosby. And unlike other soul artists of the time, including the great Jackie Wilson, Redding--with the help, of course, of guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson--could take even schlock, at least in R&B terms (i.e., "The Tennessee Waltz"), and transcend it, making it his own. Otis makes all 11 tracks here his own--not that any of them were ever considered schlock. But many, including Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang," Roy Head's "Treat Her Right," and Wilson Pickett's "634-5789," were closely associated with their originators. Redding's cover of Smokey Robinson's "Scratch My Back" is so awesome that it makes you forget the Miracles' original. The Soul Album is sometimes underrated because it's a covers album--but it's a classic covers album, nevertheless. --Bill Holdship