Soul on Top is James Brown at his most unexpected and electrifying — a bold collaboration with arranger Oliver Nelson and the Louie Bellson Orchestra, recorded at the height of Brown’s creative powers. Blending big‑band jazz, soul fire, and funk phrasing, the album reimagines standards, ballads, and Brown originals with swaggering horn charts and orchestral swing.

This 2023 worldwide 180g gatefold reissue from the Verve By Request series restores the album with renewed warmth and clarity, presenting one of Brown’s most adventurous and musically sophisticated projects in a premium audiophile pressing.

Track Listing

Side A
That’s My Desire
Your Cheating Heart
What Kind of Fool Am I
It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World
The Man in the Glass

Side B
It’s Magic
September Song
For Once in My Life
Every Day I Have the Blues
I Need Your Key (To Turn Me On)
Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

Features

2023 180g gatefold reissue
Part of the Verve By Request series
Big‑band jazz arrangements conducted by Oliver Nelson
Louie Bellson Orchestra backing
Mix of standards, soul classics, and Brown originals

Information

Artist: James Brown with Oliver Nelson conducting the Louie Bellson Orchestra
Title: Soul on Top
Label: Verve Records – B0036053‑01 / KS 1100; UMe – B0036053‑01
Series: Verve By Request
Format: Vinyl LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Gatefold, 180g
Country: Worldwide
Release Date: 13 January 2023
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style: Big Band, Soul, Funk