Solomon Burke – Like A Fire

Solomon Burke’s trio of recent albums marked one of this new century’s most welcome “comebacks.” His 2006 disc Nashville was the strongest yet, a perfect combination of singer and concept: Producer Buddy Miller helped Burke choose some great old songs, then placed the mighty singer in stripped-down country-soul settings that played to his well-known strengths as a gospel shouter and ballad interpreter, while never once attempting to rehash past glories.

Sorry to say, but Like A Fire is that album’s depressing antithesis, a gospel-deprived, flaccid, cliche-heavy collection of AAA ballads — what else to expect when those contributing new songs include Ben Harper and Keb’ Mo’? — all performed in the style of a VH1 special, with special guests Norah Jones (her former guitarist Jesse Harris contributes two songs) and the too-long somnolent Eric Clapton (who does the same).

The result isn’t a bad record. Drummer Danny Kortchmar and the other studio ringers involved are far too competent for that, and, of course, Burke gamely does what he can with what he has, which now and again is considerable — he ain’t called the King of Rock and Soul for nothing. But Like A Fire is ill-conceived, and disappointing.

So forgive me if this comes off as cruel or morbid: Burke has a lot of inspired music left in him, but he is in his 70s now and overweight. He doesn’t have time to be piddling around in the middle of the road.