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Though SHOUT! was the first album of the Isley Brothers' multi-decade career, their signature raw-edged soul is fully formed here and comes on like gangbusters. Combining elements of gospel, R&B, and rock & roll, the Isleys visit traditional songs ("When the Saints Go Marching In"), torchy ballads ("Turn to Me"), hymns ("He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"), doo wop ("Without a Song"), and popular tunes of the time (their version of "Rock Around the Clock" blows Bill Haley's out of the water). SHOUT! fairly bursts at the seams with energy; the rhythm section chugs like a freight train, electric guitars sting (the fiery solo on "Yes Indeed" stands against any Sun Studio recording), and the Isleys' screams, yelps, and call-and-response sections balance impeccably precise singing. The apex of the album, of course, is the title track, which lays down four minutes and 25 seconds of pure R&B bliss. From its insistent tambourine to the slinky half-time change-up, to its famed "a little bit softer now/a little bit louder now" instructions, "Shout" is, like the album, a celebration of life.
