S.O.S.: Save Our Soul

Vanguard

Consider S.O.S.: Save Our Soul Marc Broussard’s career redo. The potential on his major-label release, 2004’s Carencro, was overwhelmed by production that attempted to appeal to a crowd desperate for its next soul-lite wonder. Lucky for him, that album didn’t take off. In a more comfy atmosphere, Broussard channels his inner Otis Redding and a host of other R&B legends on S.O.S. All but one of its 11 tracks is a remake from the genre’s ‘60s and ‘70s pre-drum machine peak of organic, sensual grooves. What’s most impressive is that Broussard and company get the mood just right, with arrangements that respect the past yet have a freshness built in for the present. It’s enough to make a stable of Stax session players smile.