The once-bright flame of southern soul music burns dimly in the late Eighties – but at least it burns. Bobby Womack and Johnnie Taylor, for instance, are consistent in their ministry. So are Betty Wright and Irma Thomas. And on Live and Let Live! – their debut album as a duo – Bobby King and Terry Evans are clearly in the congregation.

Both are journeymen who have traveled as singers with Ry Cooder's band for ten years or more. Both possess big, throaty, gospel-rooted voices of a kind that are hopelessly unfashionable at major-label A&R departments and urban-contemporary radio stations. Together, they sing with the sort of passion and power that recalls Sam and Dave – with Cooder playing the role of guitarist extraordinaire Steve Cropper to masterful effect.

The Stax connection is most sharply drawn by two songs: the title track, written by Evans, and "Seeing Is Believing," composed by King. On "Live and Let Live" the pair trade lines and verses over a locomotive rhythm track in the mold of "Soul Man," with Cooder's bluesy slide work propelling it to a stunning climax.

Equally impressive are "At the Dark End of the Street," a courageous remake of James Carr's Memphis classic, and "Let Love Begin," a moody ballad underpinned by Spooner Oldham's swirling piano work. King, Evans and Cooder understand what other imitators of the genre often do not: the singers and the song should be in no hurry to arrive someplace, and that ability to take time only adds to the record's intensity.

Ry Cooder's presence as producer and player resonates through Live and Let Live! – but King and Evans are the stars of this soulful show. (RS 536)

ADAM WHITE