Into My Soul

1	Do You Feel Me 4:53
2	Into My Soul 4:57
3	Hold On! I'm Comin' 4:14
4	Another Beautiful Day 3:56
5	Hoddamile (Hot or Mild) 4:34
6	I Loved You in Memphis 4:54
7	That's All Right / Kevin Whalum 4:01
8	Memphis Reason 5:06
9	Club Paradise 4:22
10	You Had Me at Hello 4:24
11	Me, Me & You/Postlude in B Major Bonus Track 8:40

Barnes & Noble

On Into My Soul, serial Grammy nominee and Memphis native Kirk Whalum presents a creative tribute to Memphis soul and rhythm-and-blues, grounded in the notion of finding new melodies and colors by which to channel the spirit of the music that formed him. Joined by a crackerjack rhythm section propelled by ace drummer Blair Cunningham, Whalum plays magnificently. Alternating on tenor and soprano saxophone, he invokes the spirits of Grover Washington and Memphis alto hero Hank Crawford by uncorking magisterial lines filled with melody, blues intonation, and soulful heft. Veteran producer David Porter of Stax/Volt fame tends to the idiomatic details, sustaining a tone parallel to Memphis. Highlights include “I Loved You in Memphis," which hometown hero Isaac Hayes and Wendy Moten turn into a yearning meditation on the spiritual and erotic qualities of youthful love and the enduring pain of loss; “You Had Me at Hello,” climaxed by sanctified Maurice White moans; a reharmonized romp through the Sam & Dave classic “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” written by Porter and Hayes; a pull-out-the-stops, tongue-speaking shuffle on “That’s All Right” by Whalum’s brother Kevin; and the final bonus track, “Postlude,” on which Whalum and his son, bassist Kyle, display consequential hard-core jazz chops on a 7/4 bossa based on the chords of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” Ted Panken

All Music Guide

Featuring an organic mix of straightforward R&B, Into My Soul finds alto saxophonist Kirk Whalum on what is ostensibly his Memphis album. Whalum -- a Memphis native -- does evince a Stax-style soulfulness, but he keeps the arrangements and his own playing mild and light despite the album's more natural acoustic production style. The title track, a funky midtempo ballad that recalls the simple elegance of Grover Washington, Jr., is a standout. Similarly, the funky "Hoddamile (Hot or Mild)" gets by nicely with a catchy melody and guest spots by trumpeter Rick Braun and guitarist Norman Brown. And the raw and soulful "That's All Right" -- featuring vocals by Kevin Whalum -- turns the Arthur Crudup-penned Elvis classic into a raw Tony! Toni! Toné!-meets-Sam Cooke rave-up. The rest of Into My Soul is pleasant, but falls short of a Whalum smooth jazz masterpiece. Matt Collar