Overnight Sensational
The lead voice of Stax Records' powerhouse soul duo Sam and Dave returns to reclaim his legacy here with a collection of familiar r&b; catalog choices framed by slick, decidedly contemporary productions. If the project's crowded supporting cast -- Springsteen, Clapton, Wynonna, Sting, Bon Jovi, Winwood, Paul Rodgers, Mariah Carey, Vince Gill and Billy Gibbons among the most notable -- sometimes makes Moore seem like a guest on his own album, their admittedly marketing-driven presence nonetheless helps showcase a seminal soul artist for anAmerican Idol-smitten generation that seems to have taken him for granted (hardly a surprise that project producer Randy Jackson is best known as anAIjudge). Yet Moore's gritty, expressive voice can't be denied on the best of it, whether on the simmering gospel fervor of the Wynonna/Bekka Bramlett/Bebe Winans-seasoned "I Can't Stand the Rain," the bluesy shuffle of "Better To Have and Not Need" with Springsteen joining in the chorus or a soulful "None of Us Are Free" featuring Sting. But, as Fantasia's turn on the unfortunate "Blame It On the Rain" argues, it's also an album whose tracks often frustratingly rise or fall in proportion to the contributions of its guests; less would definitely mean Moore here.--Jerry McCulley