Album review: This is Where I Live showcases William Bell’s brilliance

The 77-year-old's clear, smooth tenor lends authority and honesty to the 12 songs produced by John Leventhal.

This Is Where I Live by William Bell.

This Is Where I Live

William Bell

Stax

Four stars

William Bell aces his return to the legendary Stax label with This Is Where I Live, an excellent album built on the foundations of his songwriting and vocal skills. In the 1960s, Bell performed or wrote a handful of blues and soul classics, including Everyday Will Be A Holiday and Born Under A Bad Sign, and he continues to uphold those high standards even on the cusp of his 77th birthday.

His clear, smooth tenor lends authority and honesty to the 12 songs produced by John Leventhal. Bell, who left Stax and founded his own label in the mid-1970s, sings about his Memphis roots and musical journey on the title track, while More Rooms cautions that for a marriage to last, remember "there's more rooms in a house ... than the bedroom".

Bell's take on Born Under a Bad Sign, which he wrote with Booker T Jones, alters the classic guitar riff and is more of a weary lament than a complaint. After a fallow decade, This Is Where I Live proves that in the right company Bell is still an enduring source of brilliance.