This Is Where I Live by William Bell.
This Is Where I Live by William Bell.

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



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.

artslife@thenational.ae

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The bio

Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry

Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm

Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

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