17. My Lover's Prayer and 18. Pain in My Heart

I figure since this blog is about songs for the soul I should have a post about my favorite soul singer. Otis Redding.  Sadly, his life was cut short by a plane crash. It would have been a true pleasure to hear him make music for decades.  Anyway, the way he sings is like an old friend. It is real, it is true and it cuts to the core. It is not so much vocalizing words as it is emotion escaping as words. You can feel every note and every word. The songs are like little movies. You can just picture them playing as a soundtrack to some big life events, whether good or bad or happy or sad. 

The music itself, especially on the soul ballads feels as ancient as human emotion. This is probably because soul music originated from the pain and shared experience of African Americans brought here as slaves. From songs in the fields to songs about love and life, it is a truly American art form and Otis Redding exemplifies the genre. The only knock I have is that much of it lives into the 1960's radio standard of songs that are 3 minutes or less.  I often find myself playing them on repeat because 3 minutes just is not enough. 

 When listening through his songs recently I struggled about which one to pick because there are so many that exemplify his talent. I chose to pass on the obvious, so Sitting on the Dock of the Bay is not here. A great song that I remember hearing on the radio as long as I can remember understanding music, but I wanted something that maybe not everyone recognizes.  I decided to go with two songs. My Lover's Prayer and Pain in My Heart. Songs about love and pain. Songs about life. You feel it all in every note, from the sad horns to the the painful rasp of one of the best singers there ever was.  If you can listen to Otis Redding and not feel anything then I feel sorry for you.