Booker T. Jones
The Road from Memphis
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Steve Cropper
Dedicated
Savoy

Sure, Booker T. & the MG’s ended its Southern soul-defining run at Stax/Volt forty years ago, but these instrumental giants will probably always be thought of as bandmates. That’s what a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction does for you.

New albums from Hammond B-3 standard-setter Booker T. Jones and rhythm-plus-lead guitar master Steve Cropper find both acting as tour guides through the musical landscapes of their pre-" Green Onions" youths. But the path that each takes couldn’t be more different.

Cropper is as direct as he can be. He’s long spoken of the early R&B outfit The “5” Royales – guitarist/songwriter Lowman Pauling in particular – as a pivotal influence. He recorded 15 of their songs for Dedicated: A Salute to the 5 Royales with funk, soul and pop players from all over the map: Swampers Spooner Oldham and David Hood, Average White Band’s Steve Ferrone, the John Mayer Trio’s Steve Jordan, the Dap Kings’ Neal Sugarman and Cropper’s saxophonist/co-producer Jon Tiven.

The songs don’t beat around the bush and, on most of the tracks, a small army of guest vocalists – from usual retro-soul suspects (Sharon Jones and Bettye LaVette) to less obvious, more countrified choices (Lucinda Williams and Buddy Miller) – rise to the occasion. But, due to the production, some of the grooves are scrubbed too clean for their own good, and Cropper’s still-tasteful licks don’t get a prominent enough billing.

By comparison, Jones takes the scenic route on The Road from Memphis, telling the story – mostly without words – of where he found that soul feel in his native city and where it’s turned up since. There’s the humid, percolating “Rent Party;” the rubbery, energized vibe of a teen-filled diner in “Harlem House;” the social optimism of “Progress,” featuring an in-his-element Jim James, and more. As a forward-looking gesture, Jones even covers contemporary soul-pop (Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” ) and hip-hop (Lauryn Hill’s “Everything Is Everything” ), attacking the melodies with his punchy, voice-like B-3 phrasing.

The band Jones hired – and the fact that it’s a bona fide band makes all the difference – is The Roots, plus Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey. Unlike 2009’s rock-leaning Potato Hole, this one’s danceable from start to finish, powered by a lean, mean, funky rhythm section – particularly the head-to-toe syncopation of drummer Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson.

As much as Jones and Cropper have shaped popular music – not just soul – for the past half-century, who wouldn’t be curious about where it all started for them?