Koch Records
2008
A Bag Full Of Soul / Fantastic Feliciano
About This Album
This BGO label two-fer boasts digitally remastered editions of José Feliciano's second and third LPs for RCA. The 1965 effort A Bag Full of Soul captures Feliciano in transitional mode, still feeling his way toward the uniquely Latino-influenced folk-jazz sensibilities on which his fame rests -- while he remains a product of the Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit, the material and arrangements here hint at mainstream pop leanings exemplified by a cover of the Beatles' "Help!," an approach that points the way to his breakthrough rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire." But too much of the album plays it safe, settling for straightforward readings of familiar folkie fare like Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" and Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Work Song." Feliciano's vocals are lovely and impassioned, but not quite strong enough to carry the day alone. A scattershot set of pop standards, Fantastic Feliciano pushes the singer in a series of new creative directions, some considerably more successful than others. Feliciano lends his signature stamp to familiar tunes like "Nature Boy," "For Sentimental Reasons," and "The Masquerade Is Over," shifting easily from stark, simple arrangements that spotlight his intricate guitar playing to fuller, R&B-inspired contexts that underline the soulfulness of his vocals. Not all of it works, and the album fails to hang together as a whole, but the pieces of the puzzle are in place, enabling his signature sound to achieve critical mass over the course of subsequent LPs. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,3,5,6,7,15,17,18,21 and 22)

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