Rod Stewart “Soulbook”
Standouts - “It’s the Same Old Song,” “My Cherie Amour,” “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted”

Rod Stewart returns to his soul roots on “Soulbook,” a 13-song collection that represents the soul sounds of Philadelphia, Memphis and Motown. Stewart kicks things off with a dramatic rendition of the Four Tops classic, “It’s the Same Old Song” and between that and the last song, he honors soul music’s greats, including The O’Jays, the Temptations, and Sam Cooke. While it’s a pretty good record, it does have a few minor bumps. Whenever an artist covers somebody else’s material, it’s important that they offer something fresh in return, and for the most part Stewart delivers. But some of the arrangements are too close to the originals.