Steve Cropper: Dedicated

Steve Cropper, Grammy-nominated Rock Hall of Fame guitarist, recorded Dedicated as a heartfelt tribute to fellow guitarist Lowman “Pete” Pauling and his pioneering 50s R&B group, The 5 Royales. Cropper was the house guitarist of Stax Studios with Booker T. Jones, and co-wrote two of the era’s classic songs, “The Midnight Hour” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Like Pauling, Cropper is a guitarist extraordinare, adept at weaving the perfect stinging riff around and under the vocals. Dedicated is a joyous, hip-shakin’, shoulder- shimmyin’ romp through the Royales’ catalog by Cropper and an all-star lineup of singers and players, including a killer horn section. The duets in particular stand out. There’s wistful longing from Lucinda Williams and Dan Penn on “Dedicated To The One I Love,” sexy defiance from B.B. King and Shemekia Copeland on “Baby Don’t Do It,” and gospel-tinged doo-wop from Bettye LaVette and Willie Jones on “Don’t Be Ashamed.” For guitar purists, Cropper takes center stage on instrumental versions of “Help Me Somebody” and “Think.” Dedicated takes you back to a time when you and your girl listened to your favorite songs on the car radio and dreamed about a bright future together.