Ike & Tina Turner : TOO HOT TO HOLD

Sadly this album was released in a time of limbo for Ike & Tina.The General public (pop music) had not caught on to the dynamic duo. From 1964-1969 Ike & Tina would not make a U.S pop hit(with the exception of "River Deep" in mid 1966). This album was released during that drout. That however created an urgency within the group, they tried many differant labels,producers, and styles, but all in vain. They would eventually sign with Pompeii records (a subsidiary of Atlantic/Stax records) in late 1966.As many people know Atlantic/Stax, were mostly Soul labels in the 60's & 70's, so Ike & Tina worked with Willie Mitchell(later a producer from the 70's Southern Soul label Hi)and He produced several of the records on the "Too hot to hold" album, Ike and Tina's first "southern" soul album.The results were sensational.Great cuts like "Too hot to hold" "Shake a tailfeather" and "Crusin, cussin, crying and carrying on" were really good records. Aggressive soul, almost "Butchy" in comparison with the reigning Divas Aretha, Diana, and Gladys.Tina was showing a more Husky, gravelly quality than her silky voiced contemporaries. This music is more of a female answer to/counterpart of Otis Redding, or Wilson. Pickett.A Great effort. Should have cought fire with White/pop audiences but didn't. A little "too R&B" for a pop audience.Great, great album. This album contains several instrumentals, and other recordings from the Turners Pompeii stint.The Turners would only score a couple of R&B hits during the long drout of '64-'69, their constant, AMAZING live show is what carried them through slim times on the charts. This album has a lot of effort and soul in it, and is essential for any Atlantic records fan.