Esquire, Apple Music Make it Featured New Release Picks
Elder Jack Ward – the sacred soul singer born in the Mississippi Delta who came up singing blues songs before moving to Memphis and joining the Christian Harmonizers for their 1964 hit “Don’t Need No Doctor” – is seeing notice at age 83 for his debut solo album Already Made, including Apple Music featuring the album on its Blues page and Esquire naming it a new album pick. The music video for the title track “Already Made” has already garnered over 30,000 views on YouTube.
Next up for Bruce Watson’s Bible & Tire Recording Co. is the October 15 release of the compilation and half-hour documentary film Sacred Soul of North Carolina, which has already been featured by NPR Music.
Here’s what we’re reading about Ward’s Already Made album:
“★★★★… Truly shakes foundations… Anchored with precision by the Sacred Soul house band, a modern day Swampers, it’s awash with church-like organ and embellished with sweet call-and-response by Ward’s daughters. His star power is evident throughout.”
–Lois Wilson, MOJO, October, 2021
“Weekly pick.”
–Charles Pierce, Esquire, August 13, 2021
“★★★1/2… Transporting… He remains in robust voice… Ward’s vitality as a performer is matched by his sharpness as a writer—he penned all 10 of these first-rate songs, [which] reaffirm the close ties between gospel and classic Memphis soul.”
–Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 27, 2021
“Great debut album.”
–Devon Leger, Folk Alley, October 1, 2021
“Delightful… imparts wisdom… borne out of a lifetime of resilience… I only wish the album had ten more songs.”
–Robert Marovich, Living Blues, September, 2021
“Captivating… the greatest gospel singer you’ve never heard of [with a] talent for composition.”
–Alex Greene, Memphis Flyer, September 1, 2021
“A… He exudes both confidence and conviction as he’s backed by the Elder Ward Company Singers (the harmonies are rich throughout) and a top-notch band… in pure feeling terms, Already Made is comparable to the wildest blues or R&R mania that’s out there. And there are a few bluesy undercurrents along the way. Soul? Oh, there’s an abundance of that. Ward’s singing is a delight throughout an album that’s essentially faultless.”
–Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District, September 23, 2021
“Masterful.”
–JD Nash, American Blues Scene, July 12, 2021
“Fresh off the success of Elizabeth King’s ‘Living In The Last Days’, producer and engineer Bruce Watson of Bible & Tire Recording Co. strikes hot with another veteran voice of Memphis Sacred Soul.”
–Klemen Breznikar, It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine, August 18, 2021
“A collection which will you put you right inside an experience of music at Elder Jack Ward’s church, where he often leads songs, and the newly released video for the title track, will give you an excellent sense of the interactive and joyful aspects of the music in a group setting, too… music in a unique vein that blends elements of Country and Soul with more traditional Gospel sounds.”
–Hannah Means Shannon, Americana Highways, August 4, 2021
“Dope.”
–Last Day Deaf, August 25, 2021
