Lou Rawls and Les McCann - Stormy Monday (1962)

In 1962, when this album was made and when he turned 26, Lou Rawls' rich baritone was unknown, except to a few gospel music fans and Hollywood hipsters who caught his act at local night clubs like P.J.'s, The Troubador, Shelly Manne's Manne-Hole or Brother's on Santa Monica and Vine. A years earlier, Capitol A&R man Nick Venet had heard Rawls at Pandora's Box Coffee Shop, who was playing there for $10 a night plus pizza in late 1959, and signed him to the label. One stillborn single emerged before Lou had the brainstorm to do an album of blues and jazz standards, backed by then up-and comer Les McCann and his trio, who were performing nearby at The Bit on Sunset Boulevard. Before his Grammy winning album Love Is a Hurtin' Thing, Stormy Monday was the first of more than 20 other albums Rawls would record on that label in only a decade. Lou Rawls has had a long and commercially successful career mostly singing soul, R&B, and pop music. Originally a gospel singer, Rawls' first album as a leader features him performing soulful standards backed by the Les McCann Trio. Few of the songs have been under-recorded through the years, but they sound fresh and lively when sung by Rawls; highlights include "Stormy Monday," "In the Evening," and "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water." Pianist McCann gets a generous amount of solo space, and the reissue has three bonus tracks. This is still Rawls' definitive recording in the jazz idiom, cut before he went on to more lucrative areas.

Tracklist:

01. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - (They Call It) Stormy Monday
02. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - God Bless the Child
03. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - See See Rider
04. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - Willow Weep for Me
05. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town
06. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down
07. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - 'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do
08. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - Lost and Lookin'
09. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
10. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - Sweet Lover
11. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - Blues Is a Woman
12. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - A Little Les of Lou's Blues
13. Lou Rawls With Les McCann Ltd. - (They Call It) Stormy Monday (alternate take)