Life, love and faith ; Southern nights ; Motion (2015)/ Allen Toussaint

Drie albums uit resp. 1972, 1975 en 1978 samengebracht op een 2CD-set. "With "Live, Love & Faith", it seems as if Toussaint has found every permutation of his signature sound, which is pretty much the sound of New Orleans R&B. It's a textured, multi-layered record that may not be the purest dose of Toussaint, but is the one album that truly exhibits how deep and wide his talents ran. For its 1975 sequel, "Southern Nights", he went even further out, working with producer Marshall Sehorn to create a hazy vague concept album that flirted with neo-psychedelia while dishing out his deepest funk and sweetest soul. The sequel to that, "Motion", was recorded in Hollywood with producer Jerry Wexler. Toussaint was backed by a bunch of L.A. studio pros, including guitarist Larry Carlton and drummer Jeff Porcaro, and the difference from his previous records is palpable. This is a very smooth, slick album, heavy on ballads and mid-tempo grooves and even when it gets a little funky, it's glossy." (S.T. Erlewine, Allmusic)