Rod Stewart bares his 'Soulbook'

Rod Stewart reinvented himself in the new millennium by exercising his distinctly soulful pipes on classic standards with his "Great American Songbook" collection. Now he returns to his soul roots on "Soulbook," a 13-song collection that represents the soul sounds of Philadelphia, Memphis and Motown.

Stewart kicks things off with a dramatic rendition of the Four Tops classic, "It's the Same Old Song" and between that and the last song, he honors soul music's greats, including The O'Jays, the Temptations and Sam Cooke. And while it's a pretty good record, it does have a few minor bumps.

Whenever an artist covers somebody else's material, it's important that they offer something fresh in return, and for the most part Stewart delivers. But some of the arrangements are too close to the originals. No one will ever confuse Stewart with Jimmy Ruffin on "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted," or Brook Benton on "Rainy Night in Georgia," but he breaks no new ground on either song.

Stewart gets some help on the record from the top echelons of the R&B community. Mary J. Blige joins him on The Stylistics classic, "You Make Me Feel Brand New," while Jennifer Hudson shares the mic on "Let It Be Me." Smokey Robinson even makes an appearance as Stewart remakes his Miracles' classic, "The Tracks of My Tears."

Such high profile guest artists sometimes leave the listener wanting more, especially on "My Cherie Amour." Here, Stevie Wonder joins Stewart, and the only thing that the duet accomplished for me was making me want to hear Wonder sing it himself.

With that said, the album will no doubt please the Rod Stewart fan, as well as those seeking quality easy-listening. But will the appreciation of the traditional soul music fan be a bit more fickle?

Check this out: The minimalist opening of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" ahead of its rich arrangement offers the perfect blend of dramatic flair on the record.