Soulbook

Rod Stewart has been blessed with one of pop music’s most natural voices. In his youth, he sang hard. Middle age found him softening up. His later days find him looking back through songbooks for tunes where he can easily add his golden throat without too much wear and tear. It isn’t quite the force of nature it once was; Stewart occasionally sounds tentative. “It’s the Same Old Song” kicks uptempo, but Stewart takes it cautiously, blending into the mix of backing vocalists just when it’s his turn to take things higher. The always tough “Higher and Higher” from Jackie Wilson simply can’t be met but is infused with Stewart’s warm deliver anyhow. Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” adds Wonder on harmonica while Stewart coasts. Anyone expecting Stewart to issue a musical challenge will be disappointed, but for those who enjoy hearing a familiar friend put his touch to old favorites, Stewart’s takes on Smokey Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” and “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me” are like a letter home.