ALBUM REVIEW: Stax Songwriter Demos Showcase the Stars Behind the Big Names

Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos is a collection that celebrates those who sat a piano or hunkered over a guitar with a paper and pen, scrawling, singing, strumming, and pounding until inspiration hit, either at home or at 926 East McLemore Avenue in Memphis, home of the Stax Records studio.

Packed with names that are most likely unknown to even the most devoted fan of soul music, Written in Their Soul argues that their stories are no less captivating. Although the legendary, towering figures usually associated with the Stax family (Otis Redding, Sam & Dave) are not here, some of their songs are, in demo form, their rough edges still intact. Those singing these demos in many cases are the songwriters themselves, whose names, thanks now to this collection, are no longer just small print on a 45 or an LP’s back cover.

There’s Bettye Crutcher, a single mother of three that spent her free time writing poetry. Inspired by the story of the three bears that she’d read to her kids, she wrote, “Somebody’s Sleeping in My Bed,” an early hit for Johnnie Taylor. She would go on to co-write his signature hit, “Who’s Making Love,” and is represented with over two dozen songs throughout Written in Their Soul. Then there’s Bonny “Sir Mack” Rice, co-writer (with Luther Ingram) of the Staple Singers’ classic, “Respect Yourself” who also penned the immortal “Mustang Sally.” On this collection, we get to hear Rice’s versatility in full bloom, from the bad Santa vibes of “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’” (a hit for Albert King in 1974 and many others since) to the soul-gospel groover “Hot Line to Jesus,” cut in 1973 by the Rance Allen Group. Established Stax writers and performers such as Eddie Floyd and William Bell are featured along with lesser-known names, and the quality of the material is consistently top-shelf.

The seven discs of Written in Their Soul are split into three parts. The first three contain demos that were recorded and released by Stax artists either on Stax or an associated label (Volt, Enterprise, etc.). Among the riches discovered here are four songs by the Staple Singers that would later appear in final versions on their Soul Folk in Action collection.

Disc 4 contains demos that were recorded and released outside the Stax family (Atlantic, Decca, Hi, etc.). Here’s where you can hear Floyd belt out the skeleton version of his and Steve Cropper’s “634-5789” before it was pitched to Wilson Pickett on Atlantic, and Crutcher’s greasy demo of “What You Did to Me Last Night,” later a funked-up 1977 groover for the Soul Children on Epic.

But it’s in Written in their Soul’s final three discs, songs that have never seen the light of day, where the true treasures lie. Here’s where you can hear moments like Booker T. Jones as he steps out from the behind the organ and delivers a rare vocal performance on Carla Thomas’ “Oo-we Baby, What You Do To Me;” where you get to hear two versions of the should’ve-been-a-hit “Too Much Sugar For A Dime,” one by Homer Banks (the song’s co-writer) and the other from Bettye Crutcher (Crutcher’s version is the more convincing); the Mack Rice and Eddie Floyd collaborations “Do Me Wrong” and the incredible “Dammit;” and many more moments too numerous to recount here.

Enhanced by informative and engrossing liner notes from Robert Gordon, Deanie Parker, and Cheryl Pawelski, the demos range from raw vocals belting out ideas over an acoustic guitar (that may or may not need tuning) to fleshed-out full band arrangements. While the sound quality naturally varies (these are demos, after all), the heart and soul that went into each of these songs and performances vastly outweigh any recording limitations. Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos is a monumental document, proving once again that Stax soul runs deep.

Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos is out June 23.