Blue Night (Percy Sledge album)

Recorded in Los Angeles in March 1994, the album was produced by Barry Goldberg and Saul Davis.[1][2] Steve Cropper, Bobby Womack, and Mick Taylor contributed guitar parts to the album.[7]

Blue Night's liner notes were penned by Jerry Wexler.[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[9]
The Indianapolis Star	[10]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide	[11]
USA Today	[12]

The Ottawa Citizen thought that Sledge's "story songs are told from an adult perspective, unflinching and real as rain."[13] USA Today wrote that Sledge breathes "emotional fire into the Temptations' 'I Wish It Would Rain', Otis Redding's 'I've Got Dreams to Remember' and James Carr's 'These Ain't Raindrops'."[12] Marc D. Allan, of The Indianapolis Star, considered the album "easily the best record I've heard this year," writing that "the music is live and passionate, with a minimum of strings and clutter in the arrangements but enough horns and female backing vocals to punctuate the lyrics."[10]

The Guardian noted that "Steve Cropper leads the simpatico, understated accompaniment to complete a polished update of steamy, old-style southern soul."[14] The Vancouver Sun determined that Blue Night "might be better considered as urban blues than soul/R&B."[15] The Irish Times wrote: "Gravelled by age and experience, this guy just breathes in the direction of lyrics and potential sap turns to music poetry of the most potent kind."[16]

In a retrospective article, Rolling Stone praised Sledge's cover of Fats Domino's "Goin' Home", writing that "goosed along by slide guitar from former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, [it] shows that if Sledge wanted to, he could've rocked as hard as any other Louisiana R&B singer."[17] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called Sledge "emotionally centered and nothing less than inspiring."[11]