Tag Archives: R&B

What we’re listening to today — Sam Cooke

Following in Ray Charles’ footsteps by fusing gospel music with secular lyrics, Sam Cooke packed more soul into a 3-minute single than most singers can muster over an entire lifetime. In fact, many critics contend that he “invented” Soul music (although for me that is too simplistic an interpretation of the pioneers and sources of the genre). Blessed with suave charisma and a magical voice, Cooke’s all-too-brief career was filled with terrific highlights and smash hits, including 30 Top 40s between 1957 and 1963, as well as several posthumous successes like the glorious, Civil Rights-infused “A Change is Gonna Come”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOYuhLNwh3A

That epic song points to the direction Cooke would undoubtedly have headed had he lived: politically aware music committed to the cause of Civil Rights and social justice, just as he was in life. “A Change is Gonna Come” also prefigures the social awakening that such artists as Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye would undergo as the 1960s wore on by showing that protest music was a natural fit for R&B and soul and not merely the sole province of white folk singers.

Though there are a ton of songs to choose from among the less political, from “Wonderful World”, “Chain Gang”, “Cupid” and “You Send Me” to name just a few, the more classically blues-structured “Somebody Have Mercy” has always seemed to me one of the best Cooke recorded during his breakout crossover period onto the pop charts: soulful but not too sweet, lyrically very clever and featuring top notch musical backing.

Obviously, we can say that at 33 Sam Cooke died far, far too young, robbing us of a full lifetime of his rapidly evolving greatness. But with his enormous influence on the artists that followed him such as Otis Redding, James Brown, Al Green, Gaye, Ben E. King, Bobby Womack and on up to today’s soulful R&B singers, as well as popular music as a whole, we can also say that Sam Cooke never really died at all. The true immortals never do.

What we’re listening to on Thanksgiving — Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly & the Family Stone

Blogging could be sporadic with the upcoming Turkey Day blowout but wanted to throw this great Sly & the Family Stone tune out there for y’all because it seems just right for the occasion…

One of the last gasps from that great interracial collective before drugs destroyed the band, 1969’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” could be cited as truly revolutionary for its bass line alone. Seeming to infuse nearly every funk track to follow in the 70s, Larry Graham’s “slapping” style of percussive bass is literally the sound that launched a thousand R&B bands. And of course the pure stoned compositional genius that is Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart is on full display here, with enough sonic and lyrical mischief happening to bring a smile to the most jaded hipster. It may be a cliche but it happens to be true: If Prince has a musical daddy, it’s Sly Stone.

Even after a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, when you hear “Thank You” you’ll wanna shake it to the groove. So let’s take a moment to give thanks for great music and great food. And especially to the great friends & family who so importantly let us be ourselves–Thank You!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ptrc2cWRxU

What we’re listening to today — Lonely Lover by Marvin Gaye

With mourning for the late, great Lou Reed subsiding, it’s time to get back to posting music. And what better way to get back on the horse (if you’ll pardon the expression, Lou) than a little something by The Master, Marvin Gaye:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-n5nsv9M_s

This little known track was recorded in the mid-1960s but was only released in the mid-80s in the wake of Marvin’s tragic death. It’s a classic Holland-Dozier-Holland composition with sophisticated chord progressions and a great vehicle for a supple vocalist, with a lot of opportunities for heartfelt melismas. Marvin’s always cool, always emotional voice hit it just right.

But like a lot of classic tunes in the Motown era it was also recorded by other artists pretty much simultaneously and even on different labels. The forgotten Jimmy McFarland’s version for tiny RPR records is also very good with a quicker tempo and very pleasing to the ear, if not quite the amazing vocal quality that made Marvin Gaye the Master.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpYP3RfK6_I

And Gaye’s fellow Motown stablemates the Four Tops also cut a nicely overwrought, heavily soulful version:

One great song, 3 killer versions. Call it a Friday bonus after a sad week for music.

 

What we’re listening to today–No Rollin’ Blues by Jimmy Witherspoon

Ain’t nothin’ on a Sunday like some Blues. And ain’t a lot of blues as good as that sung by Kansas City shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. This 1959 version of his evergreen “No Rollin’ Blues” shows all of his trademarks to a T: suave and powerful delivery, sexual innuendos galore, fun loving call-and-response rapport with his sidemen and uprorious reactions by his obviously appreciative audience.

Blessed with an epically long career, he began as a big band singer with Jay McShann in the late 1940s and was still at the peak of his powers (despite a battle with throat cancer) on 1988s Rockin’ LA. In between, the ‘Spoon was responsible for minting all-time standards like and “T’ Ain’t Nobody’s Business”, “Better Love Next Time (Pts. 1 & 2)” and “Have You Ever Loved a Woman”. In short, Jimmy Witherspoon was a colossus of post-WWII popular music and a Blues singing legend. Let’s toast him with some sweet corn whiskey!

You can download the sweet singing ‘Spoon on iTunes and Amazon.

What we’re listening to now–David Ruffin

David Ruffin‘s “Rode by the Place (Where We Used to Stay)” just belted out of my “MellowMix” playlist right now.

Hey girl, can I get next to you?

Ruffin was the co-lead singer along with Eddie Kendricks of the awesome 60s R&B act the Temptations.  He could not only rock a pair of geek glasses but had a slightly gruff delivery that was the perfect counterpoint to Kendricks’ controlled falsetto. In classic Soul Man style, he will sometimes jump up into a pained scream for maximum emotional effect.  This wonderful quality of his is shown beautifully on this solo effort, which is never maudlin or hysterical, but is still suffused with the longing for bygone days, an irrevocably changed past that ain’t coming back.  The galloping beat and Ruffin’s understated delivery cannot hide the pain from the memories stirred up driving by his old house and hood.  Gives me chills every time, which doesn’t happen too often on such an up tempo pop song.  God bless classic R&B for its sweet sounds wrapped around such serious and soulful themes.

Plug it into your Pandora or download it from iTunes or Amazon.