Wilson Pickett was one of the first superstars of Southern soul, specializing in an almost physical approach to the music. He’d snarl and shout, chew his consonants and massage his syllables, to the point where records like “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” and “Mustang Sally” practically drip with sweat from his exertions. Unlike straight-talking Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Records’ other top soul artist, Pickett had a glint in his eye and a playful pleading in his voice that gave his performance a naughty edge, inspiring the nickname “Wicked Pickett.”
By the end of the ’60s, however, Pickett was ready to try something new. In a conscious break from his Southern soul sound, Pickett migrated north to Philadelphia, working with a pair of young songwriter/producers who’d soon define the new sound of the ’70s. Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, then best-known for the Soul Survivors’ 1967 hit “Expressway to Your Heart,” had begun developing the sweeter, orchestral style known as Philly soul. The singer’s collaboration with the Gamble and Huff resulted in 1970’s Wilson Pickett In Philadelphia, which not only refreshed his sound, but also became his most successful album in years, spawning Top 20 pop hits “Get Me Back on Time, Engine Number 9” and “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You.”
Despite its split North-South origins, the 1973 LP Mr. Magic Man is surprisingly cohesive, thanks largely to the fact that the same producers, Dave Crawford and Brad Shapiro, worked with Pickett in both locales. It helps, too, that Pickett and company feel more inspired by Philly soul than indebted to it, stripping back some of the genre’s penchant for velvety lush arrangements and retaining his inherent grit. Opening track “Mr. Magic Man” is the most Philly of all the songs on the album, a warm, catchy mid-tempo dance tune that made for a natural single. Better, however, is “What It Is,” which takes the kind of pain-filled slow jam common in Southern soul and adds a smooth, sympathetic backing. Other highlights include the fiery rave-up “Sin Was to Blame” and a reflective remake of Pickett’s own “If You Need Me,” made more famous through covers by Solomon Burke and the Rolling Stones.
Pickett in the Pocket, released in 1974, returned the singer to Muscle Shoals and, by extension, his old-school style. Not coincidentally, it’s also the best of the bunch by far, tapping into the same deep Southern groove that built his ’60s hits without feeling like a step back from his recent experimentation. There are only nine tracks on the LP, but every one is a gem, from the firing-on-all-cylinders opener “Iron It Out,” to the epic sexx jamm “You’re the One,” in which the singer raps the immortal line “I’m a bad motorscooter myself, baby.” In between is one funky should-be classic after another: “Don’t Pass Me By,” “Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It,” “I Was Too Nice” — not to mention the red-hot gospel rock of “Isn’t That So,” or the reclaiming of Ben E. King’s “Young Boy Blues,” or the socially conscious but still hip “Take a Look.” When Pickett pleads to “let the horns play” during “What Good Is a Lie,” everything clicks into place in a way that even the best moments on the other RCA albums lack. Unfortunately, the decline of Pickett’s popularity meant Pocket neither sold as well as his previous RCA albums, nor launched any hit singles — an especially disappointing fact, given that it should have appealed to fans of his ’60s classics.
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