Still active after more than forty years as an R&B writer and singer, John Ellison of The Soul Brothers Six displays his continued virtuosity with this contemporary R&B album. From tender ballads to upbeat anthems, like "Cell Phone," which has been a huge winner at international music festivals, Ellison proves over and over again the depth and sheer fun of his unique contribution to r&b music.
With the release of this studio CD, "Back," John Ellison's 40-year recording career finally catches up to his thriving performance and songwriting careers. He has enthralled international audiences since his 1967 hit, "(She's) Some Kind of Wonderful," with the Soul Brothers Six. He continues to enchant music lovers from Europe to Asia, while his songs and recordings have been used recently by artists like Joss Stone and D.J. Shadow, following a long tradition that included Huey Lewis and Grand Funk Railroad.
His own new rockin' version of his classic "(She's) Some Kind of Wonderful" is the exception to the otherwise all new tracks written and performed for this CD. It is an R&B feast that rings the heights of playfulness to the depths of soulful despair. Ellison’s distinctive delivery adds punch to the frolicking insistent “Cell Phone Number” and depth to the doleful, meaningful and resonant “When” and “Ten the Hard Way.” He is chatty in “My Baby’s Coming Home Tonight” and reverential in “Just One Wish.” He evokes historic soul music in “Back in the Day” and croons an eternal lament in “Searching for Love.”
Working with the supremely credentialed and equally experienced producer Tom Moulton, Ellison shows that he remains as relevant and strong today as when he started in the 1960s. John Ellison’s time has come with music that conveys the talent, passion, understanding and genuine good spirit that have only deepened and matured and can be heard now at the peak of a long and fruitful 40-year career.