A Little Bit of Holding Back and a Lot of Letting Go

Ralph 'Soul' Jackson, a charismatic soul musician from Phoenix City, Alabama, finished recording his first studio album in decades. Ralph's personality is raw, brutally honest, charming and passionate. This documentary follows a sixty-four year old lifelong musician Ralph and his manager John Ciba, a thirty-one year old soul music aficionado from Chicago, as they navigate friendship, artistic intent and the changing record industry. Along with covering Ralph's story, the film also focuses on John and his record label, Rabbit Factory Records, which releases albums of soul artists from the past and present. This documentary captures the creative process of recording an album and the challenges that come with it. Interviews with Dewey "Spooner" Oldham and Skip Mcquinn add first hand accounts of Ralph as a young man and the music from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. John Ciba's knowledge of Birmingham soul music and civil rights history adds a rich context to Ralph and the soul music they both love. All this circles around multiple musicians recording, rehearsing and performing with Ralph.