Day 18: Deep Soul

James Carr
You Got My Mind Messed Up

Deep soul is more a characterization of a certain type of Southern soul than a genre unto itself, but if anyone so epitomizes the classification as to make it a necessary distinction, it's Southern soul legend James Carr, the deepest of the deep. Deep soul refers specifically to a style of singing that places a special emphasis on emotional expression (even by soul's standards) and is steeped in gospel. The son of a minister, James Carr grew up singing in church and eventually made the R&B charts as a soul singer in 1966 with "You Got My Mind Messed Up." Carr is best known, however, for recording the definitive version of the Penn/Moman classic "Dark End of the Street." A poignant tale of adultery, "Dark End of the Street" has since been recorded by dozens of artists, including Aretha Franklin, Clarence Carter, Linda Ronstadt, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, but no other version holds a candle to Carr's. Among Southern soul fans, Carr's work is held up alongside that of Otis Redding as some of the grittiest, most powerful soul ever recorded. Carr's debut album, You Got My Mind Messed Up, which contains both "You Got My Mind Messed Up" and "Dark End of the Street," deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul. The record is loaded with standouts such as the Staxsy groove of "These Ain't Raindrops" and the country-soul of "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man." Anyone taken with You Got My Mind Messed Up shouldn't stop there, however. The Kent compilation The Complete Goldwax Singles is also essential listening, featuring, among other tracks, a stirring cover of "To Love Somebody."

To hear an audio clip of Carr's "Dark End of the Street," click here.