Prayer Meetin'

This 1963 album pairs Smith with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, another king of the soul jazz genre; they’re backed by guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey, with bassist Sam Jones joining in on two bonus tracks from the CD version. The music is bluesy and soulful; the title track could almost be a Booker T. & the MG’s instrumental. There’s more going on than just blues grooves like “Prayer Meetin’” and “Picnickin’,” though; the group delivers a bouncing version of the calypso “Stone Cold Dead In The Market,” explores the tender ballad “I Almost Lost My Mind,” and revives “When The Saints Go Marching In” in a way that manages to not be corny.