In his lengthy career, veteran New Orleans singer Aaron Neville recorded some five-star soul gems on classic albums from the 1960s. His first A&M date, Warm Your Heart, features a more pop-minded approach, intent on making him a major hit in the pop market (which had been exposed to him in 1989 thanks to his duets with Linda Ronstadt). Tracks like the haunting “That’s the Way She Loves,” the gritty “Angola Bound,” and a remake of the Main Ingredient’s “Everybody Plays the Fool” showed that Neville still had plenty of vocal thrills and charm.

For our Analogue Productions 200-gram reissue of this classic record, the hallmarks you’ve come to expect, nay demand, for perfect vinyl are all here: Bernie Grundman provided the mastering from the original analog tape, the 200-gram flat, silent vinyl was pressed by Gary Salstrom and his crew at Quality Record Pressings, and no less than an old-style tip-on gatefold jacket from Stoughton Printing would merit use in a project this special.

Producer Linda Ronstadt sings on four songs on the album and Grammy Award winner Rita Coolidge sings on three. Other guests include slide guitarist Ry Cooder, saxophonist Plas Johnson, Bob Seger, Dr. John, Bob Glaub and Dean Parks.

In their four-star review Rolling Stone said that Neville “must have taken the meaning of the gospel deep into his heart.” The New York Times review stated that the “solo album debut of the great New Orleans soul singer has the year’s most sublime pop vocals.” The album reached No. 44 on the American Billboard 200 album chart, and achieved platinum status. In Canada, the album reached No. 25 on the Album Charts and achieved gold status.