Bring It on Home... The Soul Classics

1	Rainy Night in Georgia / Chris Botti 4:40
2	Ain't No Sunshine 3:40
3	(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay 4:28
4	Stand by Me 3:52
5	You Send Me 4:14
6	Respect Yourself / Mavis Staples 4:06
7	When a Man Loves a Woman 3:24
8	Let's Stay Together / Chaka Khan 4:03
9	It's All Right 3:34
10	People Get Ready / David Sanborn 4:07
11	My Girl 3:58
12	Ain't That Peculiar 3:43
13	A Change Is Gonna Come 4:10

Barnes & Noble

At first glance, it would seem hard to beat the formula of taking one of the greatest voices in the annals of soul music and setting it loose on some of the genre's most enduring songs. But the alchemy that transpires in the grooves of Bring It On Home: The Soul Classics outstrips even that great-on-paper recipe. Neville, still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, is at his most vulnerable on songs like "Ain't No Sunshine" and a bone-weary but beautiful "Rainy Night in Georgia" (on which he's supported by trumpeter Chris Botti) -- yet Bring It On Home is not a morose affair. Rather than wallowing, Neville chooses to rise above, an M.O. that elevates "People Get Ready" (a chance for him to harmonize with brother Art) to the goosebump-inducing level. It also lends a remarkable blend of grace and power to the churning version of "Respect Yourself" that he and Mavis Staples march through hand-in-hand. Bring It On Home's source material is pretty much unimpeachable, but there's always a danger in reinterpreting songs that are so deeply ingrained in the minds of listeners. Neville doesn't ignore that danger -- he meets it head on, seizing the melodies, making them his own, and triumphing over the forces that conspired to keep him and his beloved Crescent City down. David Sprague

All Music Guide

For Aaron Neville, the impact of Hurricane Katrina could only be expressed through music, specifically on songs that are uplifting, meaningful, and close to the heart. Bring It on Home...The Soul Classics is about recovery: a positive response not only to the natural disaster of the hurricane, but undoubtedly to the blasé attitude about it from the federal government. Tragedy can bring out the best in people, and Neville's disc not only aims to deal with his personal pain, but specifically reaches out to those who survived the storm the best way he knows how. These songs are familiar enough to deliver the listener a sense of warmth which hopefully opens the door to healing, grace, and power. Out of the 13 tracks, four are duets: with Mavis Staples on "Respect Yourself," Chaka Khan on "Let's Stay Together," brother Art Neville with David Sanborn for "People Get Ready," and Chris Botti on "Rainy Night in Georgia." Katrina's aftermath found other musicians reaching out to their audience as well, musicians who have created a few painfully triumphant releases like Dr. John & the Lower 911's Sippiana Hericane, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band's reworking of Marvin Gaye's 1971 album What's Goin' On, and the various artists who contributed to Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast. It's safe to say Aaron Neville's Bring it on Home...The Soul Classics should be added to that list. Les Campbell