Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul

The Artist

Otis Redding was the defining voice of Southern soul, a Georgia-born singer who rose from talent-show circuits to become the flagship artist of Memphis's Stax Records in the mid-1960s. His style fused gospel fervor with raw, unpolished emotion, delivered in a gravelly rasp that could turn a whisper into a plea and a shout into a sermon. Backed by Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Memphis Horns, he crafted a sound that felt both meticulously arranged and completely spontaneous. By 1966, he was at the peak of his powers, transitioning from R&B star to crossover force. Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul arrived as his fifth studio album, capturing him just before his tragic death in December 1967 would cement his legend.

The Album

Recorded at the Stax studio in Memphis and released in October 1966, The Dictionary of Soul was cut with the house band that had become Redding's musical family: Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., and the horn section anchored by Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love. The sessions leaned into Stax's signature live-in-the-room feel, with minimal overdubs and arrangements often built on the studio floor. The album mixes Redding originals with bold reinterpretations of pop, country, and rock material, framing him as a genre-agnostic interpreter rather than just a soul shouter. Thematically, it swings between heartbreak, playful desire, and gospel-tinged catharsis, showcasing the full range of what Redding could do with a song.

Listen For

The slow-build climax. "Try a Little Tenderness" begins as a hushed ballad and detonates into frenzied, horn-driven ecstasy in its final minute. Pay attention to how Al Jackson's drums signal each shift in gear.

Reinventing familiar material. Redding tackles the Beatles' "Day Tripper" and the country standard "Tennessee Waltz," radically reshaping both. Listen to how the Stax rhythm section bends these songs into something entirely their own.

Vocal grit and improvisation. Throughout the record, Redding scats, grunts, and ad-libs phrases like "got-ta, got-ta, got-ta." These are less lyrics than pure emotional punctuation.

The Memphis Horns as second voice. Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love answer Redding's lines with punchy stabs and long, mournful swells. On "My Lovers Prayer," they act almost like a call-and-response gospel choir.

The playful side of Otis. Tracks like "Hawg for You" and "Ton of Joy" lean into loose, joke-heavy blues territory. Notice the lighter touch and how the band matches his grin.