Soulsville USA

Good news for all soul and R&B connoisseurs out there. Months of rumours have finally given way to certainty with the confirmation that the legendary Memphis label Stax Records is to be relaunched in the new year, with 2007 also being its 50th anniversary. The label will produce re-releases of catalogue material from its past greats which of course include Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T and the MGs, Sam & Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas, the Bar Kays and Wilson Pickett, amongst others. However it will also sign and record new acts. Hayes himself has returned to the label, keen to produce more groundbreaking material along the lines of 1969's incredible Hot Buttered Soul LP, and has been joined by none other than Angie Stone who will release a long-player in 2007. A Story to Tell will watch this space and of course let you, dear readers, know of any further interesting developments. What remains unclear about this story is the involvement, or not, of none other than Mr Lovesexy, Justin Timberlake. Rumours persist that he is part of the consortium behind the revival of Stax in his hometown of Memphis. What's more, talk is that he is also looking to buy Sun Records, home of course to the early career of Elvis Aaron Presley and many would say to rock'n'roll itself. Irrelevant to a certain degree, but it will certainly be interesting to see if this turns out to be true, and by extension what direction these legendary stables will then be taken in. What is clear, with regards Stax at least, is that 2007 will be a bumper year for some of the greatest soul and funk ever put to wax. As Sam & Dave might say themselves, Hold On, I'm Coming!!