Soulcare – Into The Soul Of Paul & John

Soulcare – Into The Soul Of Paul & John – Album Review

There’s nothing quite like attempting to take on a set-list of songs by some of the most legendary artists in the history of music, right?  Before I even push play…I wish you nothing but the best of luck Soulcare – you’ve taken on a monumental task.  It won’t be easy to do what they’re attempting to do on this album – but with a lineup filled with passionate & skillful musicians, I feel like they can find their way to victory.

So…in my opinion, a couple things can be true in making a record like this that is filled with familiar songs from start to finish.  On the one hand, we’re all gonna come in with our own preconceived notions of which songs we like better than others or what our favorites have been over the years – and on the other hand, Soulcare has the ability to surprise us through the versions they’ve created.  Take the first track for example, “Ebony And Ivory,” which they ended up using as the single for this record – if we were talking about the original, I probably wouldn’t have that up there in my list of personal favorites from McCartney’s catalog, even if I do appreciate what the song itself stands for on a symbolic level.  As far as the Soulcare version is concerned, I think they do an excellent job with it, and they were wise to enlist Richard Bona for the bass & backing vocals.  Overall, you can hear the respect that Soulcare has for the original material they’re working with straightaway on this opening track, and you’ll hear some spectacular standout elements, like Rodrigo Pahlen on the harmonica/Rhodes throughout “Ebony And Ivory” – and the extraordinary trumpet from Guillermo Calliero as well.  Great vocals from Yann Gaslain as well – I mean, ultimately, there are no weak points within any aspect or instrument you’ll find in Soulcare, and you can hear through this first track on Into The Soul Of Paul & John that they’re not just here to play the classics over again as you’ve already heard them, but to bring a new dimension of sound to the songs that you love.  Production is smooth, the performance is flawless…all-in-all, it sounds to me like listeners will really appreciate the genuine care that’s been taken with such timeless material.

If you’re asking me…and it seems like someone out there has…I’d tell ya that I applaud the bravery of Soulcare.  They could have played this album in a much safer way if they chose to, but instead, they didn’t shy away from taking on some of the biggest songs you’ll find in the Lennon, McCartney, and Beatles catalogs.  It’s always going to be tough to be compared to any of those names, and naturally, we don’t really have a choice but to do that as we listen to these covers.  That being said, like I was telling you earlier, Soulcare has the opportunity to surprise us in the best of ways when things go right – and with a band as capable as theirs is, it’s safe to say that’s where the majority of the material ends up.  Take “Imagine” for example – you’ve probably heard countless covers of this song, as have I – and I’ve gotta hand it to Soulcare when it comes to this version, it’s undoubtedly one of the better I’ve found.  I love the jazzy take on the music, the brilliant colors of the musicianship and instruments they’ve chosen to use…they infuse this song with a cascading style of melody that works brilliantly.  “Imagine” becomes this remarkably fluid experience that is truly wonderful to listen to…very soothing & calming, yet still bold in all the right places that need emphasis.  Yann does an exceptional job singing this as well, and it’s pretty clear by track two on this album that he’s got the right voice to lead the way for Soulcare’s covers on Into The Soul Of Paul & John.  “Imagine” would have been an easy song to say no to, given that the whole world pays attention when anyone ever chooses to do a new version of it – and believe me, for a song written so well, I’ve heard some disastrous versions myself – but Soulcare comes out with a win.

Here’s what I was talking about though in regards to the ability to surprise us – “Drive My Car.”  Here’s another solid example of a song that, if I was to cover only ten songs within the vast catalog of the Beatles, Lennon and McCartney…it’d be very doubtful that I’d have chosen this tune.  Not because I don’t like the original – of course I do, pretty much everyone does – but if I only had TEN spaces to fill?  That’s a whole different conversation, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that I’d have left this song out of that list.  Having said that, LISTEN to the sensational results here from Soulcare will ya?  This is all-out FUN from start to finish!  It’s got style, it’s got flash, it’s got flair…it’s got Rodrigo bringing the Funk to the background on the keys that is very much inspired by the likes of Stevie Wonder.  You’d have thought that would have been found on “Ebony And Ivory,” but he’s saved that influence for this performance instead, and I’m all for it – it fits in perfectly with this glamourous vibe they’ve created here.  Lively drums from Nico Correa, solid bass from Antonino Restuccia, and once again, another spellbinding turn from Guillermo on the trumpet.  “Drive My Car” is quite likely going to be a significant highlight and natural favorite for the majority of people tuning into this album – it’s pretty irresistible.  Soulcare really tapped into the groove that was written in between the lines of this original Beatles tune.

Sometimes, it’s wise not to tamper too much with the magic that an original song had, and with respect to that, I felt like Soulcare took the right approach to “Let It Be.”  It’s a quality version overall…don’t get me wrong, I think this band is so entirely capable and plays in such a unified way that they never really let us down no matter which track you’re listening to – but…it can be tough to reach the heights of such extraordinary expectations when you’re talking about monumental songs like “Let It Be,” even for a band like Soulcare with all the skills they possess.  So…yeah…I mean…I suppose what I’m saying is that I like it – I don’t know that I would say it’s the strongest cover on the album, and I think that “Let It Be” actually has one of the toughest spots in the lineup to fill coming directly after all the fun we just had on “Drive My Car,” but they still hold their own and do a good job with it.  When it comes right down to it, it’s always going to be tough to find a version of the Beatles material that people would agree ends up being better than the original, so really, all you can ever do is bring the best you can to the material and let the chips fall where they may in the court of public opinion.  Guillermo continues to be a complete standout in my personal opinion – I love the way this dude plays the trumpet, truly…his technique is outstanding by every conceivable definition, and he’s such a complement to the music that Soulcare is working with.  An outright essential part of this band, right now I’d tell ya that Calliero is my MVP, 100%.

“The Fool On The Hill” is one of the lesser-known tracks on this particular record, at least in comparison to the giant hits surrounding it.  I’m not entirely convinced that Gaslain got his best out of this one, but it’s still a decent performance.  Some of what he does is spot-on, and there are a few shakier moments that feel like another go around in the studio might have been the right call to make.  What I do like is that Soulcare is quite likely introducing “The Fool On The Hill” to a new generation of listeners that would mainly know the biggest hits from The Beatles and not a whole lot beyond that.  It’s a really well-written tune, and I feel like “The Fool On The Hill” is one of those songs that likely stands out a lot more to the musicians out there than it probably does to the masses in general, so heck yeah, I do like it as a choice to include on this record.  It’s all played in a very subdued and controlled way, which is effective – when the melody sparkles and shines at its best, Soulcare gets a lot of mileage out of the magic it has.

Familiarity can definitely work in your favor as a performer though, and I feel like the bigger hits you’ll find on Into The Soul Of Paul & John tend to bring out the best from Soulcare.  “Yesterday” is a great example of that being true.  While it doesn’t go quite as far into the groove that they find in “Drive My Car,” Soulcare still brings out a natural swagger to the way they play “Yesterday,” and I think a ton of people out there will really love what they’ve done here.  Excellent guitars – I don’t know who’s fully responsible for what, but it’s fair to say that both Andreu Zaragoza and Octavio Hernandez have done a fantastic job with the parts they’ve played throughout the album, and certainly within this song as well.  Fundamentally, “Yesterday” remains largely intact even while being cleverly adapted into this new jazzy version.  In my opinion, that’s the kind of cover that listeners generally respond to the most positively – they’ve still got everything they need to sing along to their favorite song with, the melody is still exactly where they know where to find it, and yet the music still has Soulcare doing something new with it too.  It’s tracks like “Yesterday” that show the cleverness in their craft, their compassion for the original songs and the fans that love’em, and their ability to do things in their own way without having to compromise too much at all.  As a result, I think they’ve got one of their most accessible moments with “Yesterday.”

I loved what they’ve done with “Eleanor Rigby,” full-stop.  Admittedly, this has always been one of my favorite songs by the Beatles to begin with, but when we’re talking about covers, that should actually stack the odds against me liking someone else taking this song on, rather than being in favor of it, right?  So that in itself should give you an idea of how strong the Soulcare version of “Eleanor Rigby” is – they fully nailed this.  It’s a melody that’s got such a brilliant mix of intrigue & mystery to it, and Soulcare has found a way to accentuate that as its top feature – and I think that was the perfect way to play it.  Yann gives us stellar vocals, Guillermo adds character & color into the music, and I felt like you’ll find a real highlight for Antonino’s bass & Rodrigo’s keys as well…I really can’t say enough about this ensemble and how well they’ve thought this version out – it’s truly wonderful in every way.  It’s like they’ve discovered a way to make “Eleanor Rigby” built into a late-night black & white detective movie soundtrack, and I feel like the people out there will genuinely marvel at the way this whole song works as well as it does.  Soulcare has done many great things on this record, but “Eleanor Rigby” is up there with the very best.

I wasn’t completely sure about their take on “The Long And Winding Road.”  Don’t get me wrong, I will always listen to what Soulcare does, because this is an authentically gifted band when you’re considering how great they become together from the sum of their individual parts – and I’m not suggesting that anything they’ve done has gone completely off the rails for their version of this song either.  I think it’s simply a matter of we all have our favorites for our own unique reasons, and that’s really all there is to it…if anything, you can blame Soulcare for having such obvious standouts in this lineup of songs that might make their take on “The Long And Winding Road” pale a bit by comparison!  You can’t really blame ME for that, can you?  I will say this though – every time you think you’ve heard the best highlight from Rodrigo to be found on the album, he continually finds a new way to impress you even more.  I was sure that I likely just heard some of the best he has to offer on “Eleanor Rigby” right beforehand, but hearing his performance on “The Long And Winding Road” is seriously special – he’s so talented, it borders on superhuman y’all.  “The Long And Winding Road” is a bit more of a threadbare tune when it comes right down to it, so it’s really one of those songs that leaves every element involved exposed and under the highest of scrutiny…I like all the individual pieces, and I suppose all I’m saying is that on a record filled with great songs, I’m more likely to claim this as a good one by comparison, that’s all.  The song itself is brilliantly written and it’s always wonderful to hear, so I’m glad they chose to do it.

I’m also quite confident that “Blackbird” will be lauded as one of the best on this record by just about everyone that has the opportunity to listen.  I’d be taking a real close look as to why that is if I was in Soulcare…because there’s something unique about the way that this comes together as well as it does, and it seems to be the only song on the record that has this particular magic to it.  Sometimes that’s the natural effect of a great duet – it ends up somewhat inspiring each side of the vocals to be at their very best, which is definitely the case on “Blackbird” – everything happening on the microphone is excellent.  Beyond that, amazing guitar work will be found, stunning piano in the mix, a delicate & precise rhythm section to guide the melody – a great harmonica added into the finale as well…I’m nothing but pleased with how this version came out, and I’d be shocked if this wasn’t universally loved by all that hear it!  It’s another tough song to recreate given how well known it is all around the world, but I really believe that Soulcare has created a version to sincerely be proud of here.  It’s the kind of song that ends up making you realize that a cover can rival the original when it’s executed the right way, and in terms of finding a way to make something old new again, I feel like Soulcare has exceeded all expectations with this one.

Finishing off their album on very conclusive note, they’ve got McCartney’s “My Valentine” at the end of the set.  Another extraordinary highlight in this lineup of ten tunes, Soulcare takes what’s probably going to be one of the tracks most folks don’t immediately recognize at first glance by comparison to the rest of the set, and put in one of their best performances from start to finish.  I mean, look, I’ve pretty much had nothing but great things to say about this band and the way they’ve adapted their jazzy roots to the songs of Lennon, McCartney and the Beatles – but they’ve really shown a side of their sound that I think is going to provide the blueprint for the pathway forward on this album as well.  You’ll find it appears on tracks like “Eleanor Rigby” and at the end in “My Valentine” – it’s the sound of mystery…curiosity…and melody combined – and it is freakin’ exquisite to experience y’all.  I think it’s a completely underrated section of music overall…you don’t often label music as being ‘mysterious’ and such, but that’s what this band has found a way to do so very well, and by tapping into that, they’ve created these adaptations that are equally intriguing and enchanting to listen to.  Believe me when I tell ya, it’s a genuinely smart way to approach the art of making music, and it has worked out so well for Soulcare that it has led them to some of the better versions of the cover songs you’ll find on Into The Soul Of Paul & John.  I wasn’t all that familiar with “My Valentine” personally before listening to this record, and now I feel like I can’t live without this song!  “My Valentine” earns your attention – it’s filled with a stellar mix of soulful & sensory sound that you can feel flow right through you, and it’s the perfect track to have ended this album with.

Find out more about Soulcare from their official page at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066632329438

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