A Man Needs a Woman

by Stephen CookAlong with his other original Goldwax LP, You Got My Mind Messed Up, James Carr's Man Needs a Woman represents one of the high watermarks of Southern soul music. And beyond his tonal resemblance to Otis Redding, Carr was as distinct a voice as the genre ever produced. Compilations on both Kent (Complete Goldwax Singles) and Razor & Tie (The Essential James Carr) are certainly good places to start, but this LP might be even a better introductory title, especially considering the likelihood one will want to obtain all of Carr's prime late-'60s work. Whether Carr revels in the up-tempo soul of"I'm a Fool for Your" or stops the presses on sanctified slow-burners like"You've Got My Mind Messed Up" and the Dan Penn and Chips Moman-penned classic"Dark End of the Street," the intensity never falters.