Don't Give Up on Me (album)

Don't Give Up on Me
Studio album by
Solomon Burke
ReleasedJuly 23, 2002
RecordedFebruary 25–28, 2002
GenreSoul blues, gospel blues, R&B
Length51:35
Label
ProducerJoe Henry
Solomon Burke chronology
Soulman
(2002) 		Don't Give Up on Me
(2002) 		The Incredible Solomon Burke at His Best
(2002)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA[3]
The Guardian[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Village VoiceB−[7]

Don't Give Up on Me is a studio album by American R&B/Soul singer Solomon Burke, recorded and released in 2002 on Fat Possum Records.[6] The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. It is noteworthy for the contributions of original and previously unreleased compositions by top-rank songwriters, the effect of which placed Burke back in the public eye for a time. Guest stars are Daniel Lanois, who plays electric guitar on "Stepchild", and The Blind Boys of Alabama, who feature on backing vocals for "None of Us Are Free". "None of Us Are Free" was also featured at the end of the sixth episode ("Spin") of the second season of House. "Fast Train" was featured during the ending montage of the season three finale of The Wire.

The title track, written by the team of Dan Penn and Carson Whitsett with Hoy Lindsey, gained popularity (and introduced Burke to a new generation) when it was used several times on the popular primetime teen soap opera The O.C. as one of the signature song of adult couple Sandy and Kirsten Cohen, played by Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan. It became a staple of Burke's live performances and has been covered by Joe Cocker, as well as Peter Gallagher, who also performed the song on The O.C.

  1. ^ "Don't Give Up On Me by Solomon Burke". Metacritic. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Deming, Mark. "Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up on Me". AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Brunner, Rob (July 26, 2002). "Don't Give Up on Me". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Aizlewood, John (July 19, 2002). "Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me". The Guardian. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Hilburn, Robert (July 21, 2002). "A Showcase for the Revitalized Soul of Solomon Burke". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Moon, Tom (July 2, 2002). "Don't Give Up On Me". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 4, 2003). "I Said Ignoramus, Not Dummie". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 5, 2018.