Bound to Happen

by Richie UnterbergerReleased in the wake of his biggest Stax hit, 1968's "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (which, oddly, is not included on the album), Bound to Happen had some blockbuster elements: Booker T. Jones produced and arranged, the MG's played backup, and the Memphis Horns were used. Bell and Jones wrote much of the material together. Still, it's only a cut above pleasant journeyman soul, often with a sweeter feel than you'd expect from a Jones production. The high points are the small hit "My Whole World Is Falling Down" and Bell's version of "Born Under a Bad Sign," which he co-wrote with Jones, and which had already been a big hit for Albert King. The covers of Sly Stone's "Everyday People" and Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," though, smack of filler. This has been paired with his 1971 album Wow... on a single-disc CD reissue.