On first listen, its not unreasonable to think that writer/producer Dan Penns 1973 solo debut, Nobodys Fool, is a bit schlocky. The songs are there, but amidst all the studio bombast its difficult to suss out the deft touch that Penn brought to soul classics like Im Your Puppet and The Dark End of the Street. To give up too soon, though, would be to neglect what is an ambitious, impassioned attempt to encompass the entire Southern musical tradition into a single musical statement. Penn sounds not unlike Suspicious Minds-era Elvis on orchestrated R&B tracks like Time and Aint No Love, and while Prayer for Peace sounds like an interlude from a Southern-gothic rock opera, its clear that Penn means every word of his plea. With the exception of a CCR cover, Penn wrote (or co-wrote) and produced the entire album, and is backed by a crew of Memphis finest. As is often the case with albums by those who became famous working behind the scenes, Nobodys Fool suffers a bit from excess, as if every idea in Penns head had to be put to tape immediately. But the mans love of music (all of it: rock, pop, country, gospel, blues, soul, etc.) is so genuine and so blind to categories, one cant help being taken in by this quiet masterpiece. ~ Nate Knaebel
Rovi