Record of the Day: Jackie Wilson, “Mr. Excitement!”

Jackie Wilson
Mr. Excitement! (3 CDs Rhino R2/R4 70775)

Good mood guaranteed thanks to this magnificent compilation that retraces the career of Jackie Wilson, great interpreter and
showman who left his mark on the history of soul and pop, taking the charts by storm between the 50s and 60s.
In Italy very few people remember him, even if his great hits such as “Reet Petite” and “Lonely Teardrops” are sometimes played on the radio, but his figure as a singer was definitely more important than it appears at first glance.
As always, Rhino has done an exceptional job of restoration and research of the best available material, providing the box set with an audio quality that will knock you out; Wilson’s voice (equipped with an uncommon range and a great ability to adapt to the most diverse styles) rings like Jericho’s trumpets out of the stereo speakers, immediately transmitting energy, rhythm and fun.

Unlike other performers on the scene in this transitional period between R&B and rock’n’roll (Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley), Wilson ideally drew on the tradition of singers like Bing Crosby and Al Jolson, albeit with less successful results.
very different from a musical point of view. His flamboyant style (he was also a fabulous dancer, gifted with a strong charisma that drove his fans crazy), his always elegant clothes, his perfectly greased hair, everything contributed to making him the perfect entertainer able to redeem even the most kitsch songs with the power of his vocal performances (and there is no shortage of them in his repertoire).

Listening to this album is like entering a time machine that will transport you to an era where rock music still had its own innocence, and had not yet been imbued with that provocative charge that would revolutionize customs and ideas throughout the world. Some of Wilson’s songs seem to have come straight from the repertoire of
Platters, others anticipate the Motown style: hilarious “Alone At
Last” and “My Empty Arms” which revisit the melodies of “Ridi Pagliaccio” and
of Tchaikovsky’s “1st Piano Concerto”.

However, all of them will make you rediscover an interpreter of the highest class; on the album there are dozens of songs that you will find yourself listening to.
hum almost without thinking and that will make your day pleasant between one snap of the fingers and another.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.