Soul Salvation
Yellow Dog, 2025
9/10
John Arthur Bigham plays all the instruments and sang all the songs here, where plenty of grooves surround the blues and R&B flavor.
“Begging You Baby” starts with Bigham’s soulful voice alongside dense drumming and well timed backing vocals for the bluesy mood, and “Georgia Peaches” follows with warm guitar and crisp drums that suit the lush delivery.
“Been Gone Too Long” and “That Thang” land in the middle. The former benefits from many vocalists that complement Bigham’s emotive pipes and radiant guitar tone, while the latter recruits upbeat harmonica and sing-alongs.
Close to the end, the intimate and romantic “The First Time” offers a heartfelt album highlight in the duo setting, and “Saving It All For You” exits with plenty of timeless R&B ideas that are smooth, agile and uplifting.
Bigham’s interest in music began young with names like Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters, and his resume includes writing songs for Miles Davis, playing in Fishbone for 8 years and touring with Dr. Dre, Eminem and Everlast, to name a few. This solo effort meshes vintage soul, traditional blues and R&B that preserves the past while still being very modern, and it’s exceptionally written.
Travels well with: Kat Riggins- Cry Out; The Claudettes- The Claudettes Go Out!