Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter
by: Arthur Alexander
(Hacktone)
In 1993 Arthur Alexander cut one of the most important records of his career, Lonely Just Like Me. Thirty years earlier he had written songs that inspired The Beatles ("Anna"), Rolling Stones ("You Better Move On") and others. His southern soul recording of the latter was the first song ever recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound studio. Alexander went on to record for Monument and Warner Brothers throughout the '60s and '70s, but he never achieved the success he so rightly deserved. By the end of the '70s, he had slumped into a depression and become bitter about the recording industry and retired from music.
A&R executive Danny Kahn talked Alexander into coming back into the studio after witnessing a rare Alexander performance at New York's Bottom Line in 1992.
Originally released in 1993, Lonely Like Me was well received, with the acoustic “Sally Sue Brown” hitting the charts as the first single. “Every Day I Have to Cry Some” was reworked with moody horns underscoring his heartbreak vocals, and a gospel-styled "All the Time" told the tale of a mortally wounded heart. It was Alexander's specialty.
Hacktone's reissue augments the original dozen tracks with four live performances from NPR's "Fresh Air," together with interview segments that find Alexander gracious and happy to be performing. Four recordings captured by Ben Vaughan on a cassette recorder in a hotel room (including a cover of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man") show Alexander compelling in just about any circumstance.
Alexander's revival was cut short by a heart attack only three months after the album's release, and he died just days after a concert in Nashville. A true classic of southern soul, Lonely stands as a fine tribute to one of the finest soul singers of all time.
-Michael Buffalo Smith