Southern Exposure (album)

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Southern Exposure
Studio album by
Released1993
GenreJazz, funk
LabelNovus[1]
ProducerStephan Meyner, Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker chronology
Life on Planet Groove
(1992)
Southern Exposure
(1993)
Maceo
(1994)

Southern Exposure is an album by the American musician Maceo Parker.[2][3] It was released in 1993.[4] Although marketed as a jazz album, Parker considered it to be "98%" funk.[5]

The album peaked at No. 33 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.[6]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Stephan Meyner and Parker.[7] The Rebirth Brass Band played on the album, as did Leo Nocentelli and George Porter Jr. of the Meters.[5][8] Parker's ex-bandmates Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis played trombone and tenor saxophone, respectively.[9][10] The album was recorded in New Orleans.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Calgary HeraldB[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[14]
The Indianapolis Star[15]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[7]

The Boston Globe praised the "stripped-bare style of vintage New Orleans funk."[16] The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "Parker works simple blues phrases into a spitfiring fury."[17]

The Calgary Herald stated that the "music is rooted in the chattering percussion and jerky rhythms of New Orleans, with heavy emphasis on the blues."[13] The Indianapolis Star noted that, "on Joe Zawinul's 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy', a favorite cover of black college bands, Parker and the Rebirth Brass Band add their own Dixieland swagger, the tempo maintained nicely by Philip Frazier's rumbling tuba."[15]

AllMusic wrote that "Parker's alto sounds close to Hank Crawford at times but with a phrasing of his own."[12]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Blues for Shorty Bill" 
2."Keep On Marching" 
3."Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" 
4."Every Saturday Night" 
5."The Way You Look Tonight" 
6."Splashin'" 
7."Walking Home Together" 
8."Sister Sanctified" 
9."Fun in the Sun" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Thompson, Dave (February 13, 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation.
  2. ^ Milkowski, Bill (Sep 1994). "Jazz-blues recordings — Southern Exposure by Maceo Parker". Audio. Vol. 78, no. 9. p. 88.
  3. ^ McElfresh, Suzanne (Jun 1994). "Maceo Parker: Funk of ages". DownBeat. Vol. 61, no. 6. p. 26.
  4. ^ Andrews, Marke (9 Mar 1995). "It's All in the Timing: And Maceo Parker Plays for the Future". Vancouver Sun. p. C1.
  5. ^ a b Wells, Paul (6 June 1994). "Maceo Parker sounds like he feels – good: James Brown saxman on his own". The Gazette. p. C5.
  6. ^ "Maceo Parker". Billboard.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 442.
  8. ^ "Southern Exposure Maceo Parker". News. Times Colonist. 9 June 1994. p. 1.
  9. ^ Asakawa, Gil (5 Aug 1994). "Sound Advice". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. E2.
  10. ^ Levesque, Roger (18 Sep 1994). "Maceo Parker: Southern Exposure". Edmonton Journal. p. C4.
  11. ^ Green, Tony (8 July 1994). "Jazz and blues in the groove". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 12.
  12. ^ a b "Southern Exposure". AllMusic.
  13. ^ a b Brennan, Brian (18 June 1994). "Jazz Discs". Calgary Herald. p. A19.
  14. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 423.
  15. ^ a b Hooper, Kim L. (1 July 1994). "Maceo Parker 'Southern Exposure'". The Indianapolis Star. p. E9.
  16. ^ Saunders, Michael (9 June 1994). "Maceo Parker shines in club lineups". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 18.
  17. ^ Moon, Tom (10 June 1994). "Maceo Parker". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.