At first glance, an album of soul covers such as “Respect Yourself,” “Love and Happiness” and “Inner City Blues” seems a little short on inspiration. Marc Broussard records them on S.O.S.: Save Our Soul, but he also sings “You Met Your Match,” a lesser-known Stevie Wonder Motown song, and “Harry Hippie” by Bobby Womack. The inclusion of less canonical tunes makes me wonder if much of this work is only partially known to a generation under 30, and if Broussard isn’t singing songs that seem less worn to him than they do to older audiences.

 

Broussard has the pipes for the songs, and his own contribution to the album, “Come in From the Cold,” stands comfortably in the company of the other songs not because it’s a great song—though it’s certainly a good one—but because he sings it with the same soul and passion that he brings to the rest of the album.

 

It would easier to appreciate Broussard’s voice if the arrangements didn’t owe so much to the original recordings. As is, one song sounds like Motown, one sounds like Hi, one sounds like Stax, and so on. It gives the CD a bit of an American Idol feel at times, though the band certainly cooks better. Still, Broussard’s talent deserves a more sympathetic context, and it might be interesting to here less faithful renditions of soul classics. As is, S.O.S. might help a new generation appreciate classic soul, but it won’t help those who know the songs appreciate Broussard.