Featuring eleven original tracks 'Good Soul' is the second album by bluesman Charles Tiner (also known as N'Treble)
From the outset ‘Good Soul’ immediately grabs the attention of the listener. Tiner’s energetic organ leads into the funky horn soaked ‘Be a Man’ featuring some demon guitar work by John Virgin. ‘Blue Moon’ slips effortlessly into a standard blues beat with Tiner shining on both organ and piano.
Stripping things down, ‘Don’t Bau Me Nun’ finds Tiner in classic acoustic blues mode. One of the more traditional feeling songs, the addition of washboard, mixed with harmonic and acoustic guitar the songs harks back to the sound of the Delta blues.
It’s no surprise that ‘Peace by The River’ has all the hallmarks of a gospel song when you learn that Tiner grew up playing music in his father’s Baptist church. Full of sound effects and featuring additional string and saxophone arrangements, it is one of the most epic and produced songs on the record, but also the most powerful.
Charles Tiner’s considerable vocal skills shine on the album, as he demonstrates his ability to seamlessly mix gospel with blues and soul. At times ‘Good Soul’ may sound like it has more in common with the polished sound of Steely Dan than the Mississippi Delta, yet as songs such as ‘Put Your Money On Me’ and the aforementioned ‘Don’t Bau Me None’ demonstrate, Tiner knows how to mix a barroom shuffle with the refined sound of contemporary blues.
‘Good Soul’ is a slick blues album that delivers the goods with passion and finesse.