Rediscovering Arthur Alexander, a Tender Crooner

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Monika Bauerlein,
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Arthur Alexander

Arthur Alexander

Omnivore

Best known for the 1962 hit “You Better Move On,” the great southern soul singer and songwriter Arthur Alexander had a tender crooning style that brought a cozy down home feel to ballads and uptempo numbers alike. Though he was covered by both the Beatles (“Anna”) and Rolling Stones (“You Better Move On”) in the early days of the British Invasion—and later by Bob Dylan (“Sally Sue Brown”)— Alexander’s commercial fortunes had waned by the time this self-titled album was released in 1972. Regardless, it’s a stirring effort, highlighted by the beautiful “Rainbow Road,” an exuberant take on “Burning Love,” cut before Elvis’ smash hit, and the gospel-tinged “Love’s Where Life Begins.” This welcome reissue adds six additional tracks from the same era to the original work, making it a fine testament to a sorely underrated talent.