SOLOMON BURKE
& DE DIJK

Hold on Tight

[Verve]

It’s an odd pairing on the surface: Solomon Burke, the great soul colossus, fronting a Dutch band hardly known outside their native country. But the members of Amsterdam-based De Dijk (translation: “the dike”) sound as if they were born to back Burke. Recorded in Brussels in just six days in late 2009, Hold on Tight features the soul legend covering (in English translations) a splendid R&B-drenched sampling from De Dijk’s back catalog. A few notes into the opening track, it’s clear the Dutch ensemble has assimilated classic American R&B in more authentic fashion than most contemporary U.S. counterparts. High points include the title track, a smoldering tune fitted with Memphis-style horns and organ swirls, and “What a Woman,” a honky-tonk stomp that swings with a vengeance. Burke, who died in the Netherlands last year just days prior to a scheduled performance with De Dijk, could hardly have asked for a more fitting capstone to his career. –RH