Showerthought: Everyone's wrong about that 1997 'Soul Station' album

I was digging through a box of old CDs at a garage sale in Portland last week and found a copy of 'Soul Station' by The Blue Notes, which came out in 1997. People online always say it's a boring, forgettable jazz record, but I gave it a real listen and the track 'Midnight Drive' has this amazing, slow build over seven minutes that completely hooked me. I think folks dismiss it because it came out right when smooth jazz was huge and it got lumped in with that. Honestly, I've played it three times this month and it's way more complex than people give it credit for. Has anyone else actually sat down with this one and found something they liked?

2 comments

2 Comments

thead442h agoMost Upvoted

Ever notice how people just decide something is bad because it was popular at the wrong time? That album got stuck with the smooth jazz label and nobody bothered to listen past it... I see that all over, not just with music. A movie comes out during a trend everyone hates, or a book gets a cheesy cover, and it's written off forever. It's like we judge the wrapper instead of what's inside. Glad you actually gave it a real shot and found something good.

margaretf402h ago

My uncle had that CD in his glove box for years. The case was so cracked you could barely read the track list.