"Ain't that Good News" from 1964 was the last album Sam Cooke released in his lifetime, and for me it is also one of his most consistent and artistically successful. In 1964 Cooke was more or less a veteran in pop music, but this album clearly (especially the original side 1) proves he was far from finished in his musical development. Cooke is often called the father of soul, and not least because the songs he wrote and recorded during the last 2-3 years of his lifetime. Cooke had in most of his songs an ease and light way of dealing with both very personal and serious themes, and this is one the characteristics of this album, where most of his original songs could well be called classics. Good examples are "Good Times", "Another Saturday Night", "Meet Me at Mary's Place" and of course "A Change Is Gonna Come" which came two exemplify the 1960s' Civil Rights Movement.

On tracks like "Ain't that Good News", "Good Times" and his touching interpretation of "The Riddle Song" Cooke shows that he is in tune with the new sounds that streamed to America from Europe, especially thanks to The Beatles.

This is undoubtedly Cooke's most modern album, although some of the more orchestrated tracks on the original side two, may be mostly rooted in the 1950s.

Chock full of Sam Cooke hits... His voice is so natural, and the tunes flow. Underrated gem of the 60s.