Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
SAM COOKE
Enuf said!! It is a twofer Sunday - I couldn't decide what to put up - so here they both are:
Review:
Hit Kit
Some smoking uptempo tunes, wailing ballads, and even interesting pop and novelty material. Sam Cooke was at his commercial peak in the early '60s, and if you ever find this anywhere, grab it quickly. It's well worth having. Someday, a major label will wise up and either put all Cooke's Keen, RCA, and Sar material back in print or put out a huge boxed set package.
Review by Ron Wynn (Allmusic)
Review:
Hit Kit
Some smoking uptempo tunes, wailing ballads, and even interesting pop and novelty material. Sam Cooke was at his commercial peak in the early '60s, and if you ever find this anywhere, grab it quickly. It's well worth having. Someday, a major label will wise up and either put all Cooke's Keen, RCA, and Sar material back in print or put out a huge boxed set package.
Review by Ron Wynn (Allmusic)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
WILLIAM BELL
A principal architect of the Stax/Volt sound, singer/composer William Bell remains best known for his classic "You Don't Miss Your Water," one of the quintessential soul records to emerge from the Memphis scene. Born William Yarborough on July 16, 1939, he cut his teeth backing Rufus Thomas, and in 1957 recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios. After joining the Stax staff as a writer, in 1961 Bell made his solo debut with the self-penned "You Don't Miss Your Water," an archetypal slice of country-soul and one of the label's first big hits. A two-year Armed Forces stint effectively derailed his career, however, and he did not release his first full-length album, The Soul of a Bell, until 1967, generating a Top 20 hit with the single "Everybody Loves a Winner"; that same year, Albert King also scored with another classic Bell composition, the oft-covered "Born Under a Bad Sign."
Bell's next solo hit, 1968's "A Tribute to a King," was a poignant farewell to the late Otis Redding; the R&B Top Ten hit "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" soon followed, and a series of duets with Judy Clay, most notably "Private Number," also earned airplay. In 1969, he relocated to Atlanta and set up his own label, Peachtree;
the hits dried up as the next decade opened, but in 1977 Bell capped a major comeback with "Trying to Love Two," which topped the R&B charts. In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the U.K. (although "I Don't Want to Wake Up Feeling Guilty," a duet with Janice Bullock, was a minor U.S. hit). In addition to subsequent LPs, including 1989's On a Roll and 1992's Bedtime Stories, in 1987 Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, that same year receiving the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's R&B Pioneer Award. After 1992, Bell took a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio, though he still performed regularly. In 2000, he released an album of all-new material on Wilbe entitled A Portrait Is Forever and followed it six years later with New Lease on Life. In between he was honored with the 2003 W.C. Handy Heritage Award.
Biography by Jason Ankeny (Allmusic)
It's Time You Took Another Listen
Review
This features William Bell's last major hit, "Easy Coming Out (Hard Going In)," which speaks of the ease of slipping out but the difficulty of returning home in the wee hours of the morning. The album's chocked with smooth Southern soul productions like "Yesterday I Lied, Today I Cried," "Satin Sheets," "Your Love Keeps Me Going," and "Hollywood Streetwalker." This LP is more polished than his Stax releases, a closer marriage to urban than traditional Memphis soul, but a solid commitment from Mercury was lacking. After two hits on two albums, Bell and Mercury parted company.
He switched to Ichiban and then started Wilbe Records in Atlanta, GA, where he records himself and others.
by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Bell's next solo hit, 1968's "A Tribute to a King," was a poignant farewell to the late Otis Redding; the R&B Top Ten hit "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" soon followed, and a series of duets with Judy Clay, most notably "Private Number," also earned airplay. In 1969, he relocated to Atlanta and set up his own label, Peachtree;
the hits dried up as the next decade opened, but in 1977 Bell capped a major comeback with "Trying to Love Two," which topped the R&B charts. In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the U.K. (although "I Don't Want to Wake Up Feeling Guilty," a duet with Janice Bullock, was a minor U.S. hit). In addition to subsequent LPs, including 1989's On a Roll and 1992's Bedtime Stories, in 1987 Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, that same year receiving the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's R&B Pioneer Award. After 1992, Bell took a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio, though he still performed regularly. In 2000, he released an album of all-new material on Wilbe entitled A Portrait Is Forever and followed it six years later with New Lease on Life. In between he was honored with the 2003 W.C. Handy Heritage Award.
Biography by Jason Ankeny (Allmusic)
It's Time You Took Another Listen
Review
This features William Bell's last major hit, "Easy Coming Out (Hard Going In)," which speaks of the ease of slipping out but the difficulty of returning home in the wee hours of the morning. The album's chocked with smooth Southern soul productions like "Yesterday I Lied, Today I Cried," "Satin Sheets," "Your Love Keeps Me Going," and "Hollywood Streetwalker." This LP is more polished than his Stax releases, a closer marriage to urban than traditional Memphis soul, but a solid commitment from Mercury was lacking. After two hits on two albums, Bell and Mercury parted company.
He switched to Ichiban and then started Wilbe Records in Atlanta, GA, where he records himself and others.
by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
OTIS CLAY - REQUEST
I had a request for Hard Working Woman by Otis. I checked my 9 cd's, some albums a few 45's and could only find the song on 1 - Live In Japan - So here it is SweetE811 - In Remembrance of your Mom ... Maybe someone else will have it and post it ????
BTW I consider this my fav recording of his - because he is live. And this is exactly what one of his shows is like .... He's like Etta James - Live - once you see the show - you won't enjoy the studio recordings ... they need an audience to catch a groove. Enjoy!
BTW I consider this my fav recording of his - because he is live. And this is exactly what one of his shows is like .... He's like Etta James - Live - once you see the show - you won't enjoy the studio recordings ... they need an audience to catch a groove. Enjoy!
OTIS CLAY
I have seen Otis many times and never get tired of watching him. It's like seeing Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge or Solomon Burke back in the day - brings back so many memories when all these folks toured in small bars and not large concert halls or arenas - where at the most there were 200 people in the joint. And the cover charge would be about $10.00 or so .... cocktails were extra!!
But of course, a lot of you never got to see those guys up close & personal .... LOL - He knows how to play an audience - and his cover's of O.V. Wrights tunes are great! As general rule I don't like cover artists .....
Bio:
Otis Clay made most of his best-known records in Memphis during the early '70s, but he's still universally hailed as Chicago's deep soul king. In a city filled to overflowing with legendary blues artists, Clay has become the proud standard-bearer for Chicago's enduring soul tradition.
Like so many of his contemporaries, Clay's intense vocal style reflects a gospel background. He made the secular jump in 1965, signing with Chicago's One-derful Records and issuing a series of gospel-tinged soul records that were a lot grittier than the customary Windy City soul sound. Clay inaugurated Atlantic's Cotillion subsidiary in 1968 with a supercharged cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover," produced by Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals shortly before the singer joined forces with Hi Records boss Willie Mitchell. With the relentlessly driving Hi Rhythm Section in tow, Clay waxed his biggest seller in 1972 "Trying to Live My Life Without You," later covered very successfully by Bob Seger.
Although Clay's tenure on Hi may have been his most commercially potent, he steadily recorded and gigged ever since. He is a genuine hero in Japan, where he's recorded two sizzling live albums filled with the churning grooves, punchy horns, and searing vocals that inevitably characterize the best deep soul — no matter where it's recorded, a fact proved by another live set recorded in Switzerland in 2003, Respect Yourself, and released in 2005 by Blind Pig Records. In 2007, Clay returned to the studio and recorded the gospel album Walk a Mile in My Shoes on his Chicago-based Echo label.
Biography by Bill Dahl (Allmusic)
Review:
Best of the Hi Records Years is an excellent collection of Otis Clay's early-'70s heyday, featuring such songs as "If I Could Reach Out" and the classic "Trying to Live My Life Without You." Although these recordings aren't quite as gritty as his singles for One-derful! and Cotillion Records, the tight Hi rhythm section keeps things at a steady, sexy groove, so they are nevertheless excellent and deeply soulful and are arguably his best work, making this compilation an essential addition to any comprehensive '70s soul collection.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
But of course, a lot of you never got to see those guys up close & personal .... LOL - He knows how to play an audience - and his cover's of O.V. Wrights tunes are great! As general rule I don't like cover artists .....
Bio:
Otis Clay made most of his best-known records in Memphis during the early '70s, but he's still universally hailed as Chicago's deep soul king. In a city filled to overflowing with legendary blues artists, Clay has become the proud standard-bearer for Chicago's enduring soul tradition.
Like so many of his contemporaries, Clay's intense vocal style reflects a gospel background. He made the secular jump in 1965, signing with Chicago's One-derful Records and issuing a series of gospel-tinged soul records that were a lot grittier than the customary Windy City soul sound. Clay inaugurated Atlantic's Cotillion subsidiary in 1968 with a supercharged cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover," produced by Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals shortly before the singer joined forces with Hi Records boss Willie Mitchell. With the relentlessly driving Hi Rhythm Section in tow, Clay waxed his biggest seller in 1972 "Trying to Live My Life Without You," later covered very successfully by Bob Seger.
Although Clay's tenure on Hi may have been his most commercially potent, he steadily recorded and gigged ever since. He is a genuine hero in Japan, where he's recorded two sizzling live albums filled with the churning grooves, punchy horns, and searing vocals that inevitably characterize the best deep soul — no matter where it's recorded, a fact proved by another live set recorded in Switzerland in 2003, Respect Yourself, and released in 2005 by Blind Pig Records. In 2007, Clay returned to the studio and recorded the gospel album Walk a Mile in My Shoes on his Chicago-based Echo label.
Biography by Bill Dahl (Allmusic)
Review:
Best of the Hi Records Years is an excellent collection of Otis Clay's early-'70s heyday, featuring such songs as "If I Could Reach Out" and the classic "Trying to Live My Life Without You." Although these recordings aren't quite as gritty as his singles for One-derful! and Cotillion Records, the tight Hi rhythm section keeps things at a steady, sexy groove, so they are nevertheless excellent and deeply soulful and are arguably his best work, making this compilation an essential addition to any comprehensive '70s soul collection.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
Monday, June 9, 2008
MARVIN SEASE
Daddy B. Nice's #6 ranked Southern Soul Artist
How important is Marvin Sease to Southern Soul rhythm and blues? Before the death of Johnnie Taylor in 2000, Sease was already a chitlin' circuit favorite--a rung or two beneath Taylor, perhaps--but a thoroughly popular and beloved artist due to his "wild man" reputation as the author of such bawdy classics as "Candy Licker," "Ghetto Man" and "Hoochie Momma."
Sease's songs were too sexually explicit for the radio air waves, an adult R&B tradition stretching back through Chick Willis's "Stoop Down, Baby. . . Let Your Daddy See" and Clarence Carter's "Strokin'." But (as is so often the case) the very X-rated notoriety of the tracks stimulated a strong and loyal underground response that propelled Sease's career through a steady succession of colorful and increasingly creditable 90's albums.
**IF you have sensitive ears - this not for you!
How important is Marvin Sease to Southern Soul rhythm and blues? Before the death of Johnnie Taylor in 2000, Sease was already a chitlin' circuit favorite--a rung or two beneath Taylor, perhaps--but a thoroughly popular and beloved artist due to his "wild man" reputation as the author of such bawdy classics as "Candy Licker," "Ghetto Man" and "Hoochie Momma."
Sease's songs were too sexually explicit for the radio air waves, an adult R&B tradition stretching back through Chick Willis's "Stoop Down, Baby. . . Let Your Daddy See" and Clarence Carter's "Strokin'." But (as is so often the case) the very X-rated notoriety of the tracks stimulated a strong and loyal underground response that propelled Sease's career through a steady succession of colorful and increasingly creditable 90's albums.
**IF you have sensitive ears - this not for you!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
LIZZ WRIGHT
This young lady is certainly kickin' butt in the rave reviews department - from Soul to Jazz. Hard to categorize her. I'll put up one review and links to others for you to check out and decide for yourself. I like her - but then again it's my blog - LOL - Check her out on You Tube.
Review:
Southern soul’s genteel side finds perfect expression in Lizz Wright’s latest release, The Orchard. Smart, passionate, and lucid, the gifted songstress from Hahira, Georgia reconnects with the rhythms, lessons, and spirits of her rural past. Finding strength, wisdom, and perspective in the comforting memories of home, Wright bears her soul without the slightest hint of trepidation. Her passionate testimonials on birthplace, love, heartbreak, and life are intensely personal, yet deeply rooted in a much larger tradition. One hears echoes of the country blues found in the work of artists as varied as Terry Callier, Bill Withers, Tracy Chapman, and Cassandra Wilson.
One also hears a woman increasingly comfortable with her own story. Supported by songwriter/guitarist Toshi Reagon, John Leventhal, Dave Tozer, and her producer Craig Street, Wright penned lyrics for The Orchard’s eight originals. Continuing the eclectic style forged on her first two releases, Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake, the burgeoning writer synthesizes different worlds, traditions, and rhythms. None of her compositions lend themselves to easy categorization. The stunning opener “Coming Home” showcases her deep roots in the Holiness church, but the song’s spiritual sentiments extend far beyond the type of religiosity manifest on Sunday morning. The singer’s jazz training shines in her immaculate phrasing on “Another Angel” and “When I Fall”, yet these pop-inflected tunes seem ready made for regular rotation on adult contemporary radio.
Consider Wright a skilled alchemist who refuses to let one genre have the final word. Spirituals, gospel, folk, country, and rock inhabit the same space in her sonic and existential world. Small surprise given Wright’s broad influences and interests, the covers on The Orchard are as diverse as the originals. Once again proving her deft interpretive skills, Wright wraps her beautiful contralto around Ike and Tina Turner’s sultry, “I Idolize You”, Led Zeppelin’s gorgeous “Thank You”, Patsy Cline’s haunting “Strange”, and the Sweet Honey in the Rock classic, “Hey Mann”. She confidently inserts own individuality into these songs without compromising their integrity. Trusting the strength of her stories and the emotional intensity of her voice, Wright sings with a powerful delicacy. Never does she rely on bogus melismas or meandering solos from her band to convey life’s joys and pains.
One drawback to her minimalist approach, however, is her tendency to leave the listener wanting more. A case in point is the spine-quivering “Speak Your Heart”, with backing vocals from Chocolate Genius, Marc Anthony Thompson. Clocking in at three minutes and forty-five seconds, this forthright call for greater honesty deserves another verse, chorus, bridge, or something. Nothing’s inherently wrong with brevity—artistic restraint can be a beautiful thing—but there are times when the songs on The Orchard fade out prematurely.
Time complaints aside, Lizz Wright delivers the goods. Five years into the game, this Southern belle from small town Georgia may not be moving Norah-like units, but she’s definitely lived up to the artistic hype.
Styles:
Vocal,Vocal Jazz, Neo-Soul, Adult Contemporary
http://www.soultracks.com/lizz_wright-orchard_review
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist/releases/default.aspx?pid=11791&aid=4794
http://www.jazzitude.com/wright_orchard.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll
Review:
Southern soul’s genteel side finds perfect expression in Lizz Wright’s latest release, The Orchard. Smart, passionate, and lucid, the gifted songstress from Hahira, Georgia reconnects with the rhythms, lessons, and spirits of her rural past. Finding strength, wisdom, and perspective in the comforting memories of home, Wright bears her soul without the slightest hint of trepidation. Her passionate testimonials on birthplace, love, heartbreak, and life are intensely personal, yet deeply rooted in a much larger tradition. One hears echoes of the country blues found in the work of artists as varied as Terry Callier, Bill Withers, Tracy Chapman, and Cassandra Wilson.
One also hears a woman increasingly comfortable with her own story. Supported by songwriter/guitarist Toshi Reagon, John Leventhal, Dave Tozer, and her producer Craig Street, Wright penned lyrics for The Orchard’s eight originals. Continuing the eclectic style forged on her first two releases, Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake, the burgeoning writer synthesizes different worlds, traditions, and rhythms. None of her compositions lend themselves to easy categorization. The stunning opener “Coming Home” showcases her deep roots in the Holiness church, but the song’s spiritual sentiments extend far beyond the type of religiosity manifest on Sunday morning. The singer’s jazz training shines in her immaculate phrasing on “Another Angel” and “When I Fall”, yet these pop-inflected tunes seem ready made for regular rotation on adult contemporary radio.
Consider Wright a skilled alchemist who refuses to let one genre have the final word. Spirituals, gospel, folk, country, and rock inhabit the same space in her sonic and existential world. Small surprise given Wright’s broad influences and interests, the covers on The Orchard are as diverse as the originals. Once again proving her deft interpretive skills, Wright wraps her beautiful contralto around Ike and Tina Turner’s sultry, “I Idolize You”, Led Zeppelin’s gorgeous “Thank You”, Patsy Cline’s haunting “Strange”, and the Sweet Honey in the Rock classic, “Hey Mann”. She confidently inserts own individuality into these songs without compromising their integrity. Trusting the strength of her stories and the emotional intensity of her voice, Wright sings with a powerful delicacy. Never does she rely on bogus melismas or meandering solos from her band to convey life’s joys and pains.
One drawback to her minimalist approach, however, is her tendency to leave the listener wanting more. A case in point is the spine-quivering “Speak Your Heart”, with backing vocals from Chocolate Genius, Marc Anthony Thompson. Clocking in at three minutes and forty-five seconds, this forthright call for greater honesty deserves another verse, chorus, bridge, or something. Nothing’s inherently wrong with brevity—artistic restraint can be a beautiful thing—but there are times when the songs on The Orchard fade out prematurely.
Time complaints aside, Lizz Wright delivers the goods. Five years into the game, this Southern belle from small town Georgia may not be moving Norah-like units, but she’s definitely lived up to the artistic hype.
Styles:
Vocal,Vocal Jazz, Neo-Soul, Adult Contemporary
http://www.soultracks.com/lizz_wright-orchard_review
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist/releases/default.aspx?pid=11791&aid=4794
http://www.jazzitude.com/wright_orchard.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll
Saturday, June 7, 2008
KING CURTIS
Anyone remember him? Maybe you're too young ....
King Curtis was the last of the great R&B tenor sax giants. He came to prominence in the mid-'50s as a session musician in New York, recording, at one time or another, for most East Coast R&B labels. A long association with Atlantic/Atco began in 1958, especially on recordings by the Coasters. He recorded singles for many small labels in the '50s — his own Atco sessions (1958-1959), then Prestige/New Jazz and Prestige/TruSound for jazz and R&B albums (1960-1961). Curtis also had a number one R&B single with "Soul Twist" on Enjoy Records (1962). He was signed by Capitol (1963-1964), where he cut mostly singles, including "Soul Serenade." Returning to Atlantic in 1965, he remained there for the rest of his life. He had solid R&B single success with "Memphis Soul Stew" and "Ode to Billie Joe" (1967). Beginning in 1967, Curtis started to take a more active studio role at Atlantic, leading and contracting sessions for other artists, producing with Jerry Wexler, and later on his own. He also became the leader of Aretha Franklin's backing unit, the Kingpins. He compiled several albums of singles during this period. All aspects of his career were in full swing at the time he was murdered in 1971.
King Curtis was the last of the great R&B tenor sax giants. He came to prominence in the mid-'50s as a session musician in New York, recording, at one time or another, for most East Coast R&B labels. A long association with Atlantic/Atco began in 1958, especially on recordings by the Coasters. He recorded singles for many small labels in the '50s — his own Atco sessions (1958-1959), then Prestige/New Jazz and Prestige/TruSound for jazz and R&B albums (1960-1961). Curtis also had a number one R&B single with "Soul Twist" on Enjoy Records (1962). He was signed by Capitol (1963-1964), where he cut mostly singles, including "Soul Serenade." Returning to Atlantic in 1965, he remained there for the rest of his life. He had solid R&B single success with "Memphis Soul Stew" and "Ode to Billie Joe" (1967). Beginning in 1967, Curtis started to take a more active studio role at Atlantic, leading and contracting sessions for other artists, producing with Jerry Wexler, and later on his own. He also became the leader of Aretha Franklin's backing unit, the Kingpins. He compiled several albums of singles during this period. All aspects of his career were in full swing at the time he was murdered in 1971.
THE PASADENAS
The Pasadenas didn't belong in the '80s. The band was caught in a time warp; they bounced between '50s doo wop, '60s Motown, and early-'70s funk and R&B. However, they presented these influences when mainstream pop music had become too shallow and over-produced; instead of sounding dated, the group was actually a refreshing change of pace. The band wasn't given much attention in America, but they were superstars in their native England. Formed by twins David Milliner and Michael Milliner along with Andrew Banfield, Hammish Seelochan, and Aaron Brown, the Pasadenas used to be a dance group called Finesse. In the late '80s they signed with Columbia Records and became the Pasadenas.
Not one member overshadowed the other; each of them wrote lyrics and helped with production and arrangements. While their peers, such as Breathe, Johnny Hates Jazz, and Terence Trent D'Arby, also mined soul records from the past, many of the Pasadenas' songs, such as the Smokey Robinson homage "Enchanted Lady," could've been mistaken for the real thing. The band didn't try to modernize the urban grooves of the '60s and '70s; they simply resurrected the excitement soul music used to bring. In May 1988, the group released their debut single, "Tribute (Right On)." It peaked in the Top Five of the U.K. charts, one of many hits for the Pasadenas. The band's concerts received rave reviews for their tight musicianship and choreographed dance moves. Their first LP, To Whom It May Concern, appeared in October 1988, selling in excess of one million copies. The group's final album, Yours Sincerely, was released in 1992. The band landed on the U.K. Top 40 charts five times that year, with the single "I'm Doing Fine" selling more than 200,000 copies. In 2002 Cherry Red Records reissued To Whom It May Concern on CD. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
Elevate (1991) AND Yours Sincerely (1992)
Not one member overshadowed the other; each of them wrote lyrics and helped with production and arrangements. While their peers, such as Breathe, Johnny Hates Jazz, and Terence Trent D'Arby, also mined soul records from the past, many of the Pasadenas' songs, such as the Smokey Robinson homage "Enchanted Lady," could've been mistaken for the real thing. The band didn't try to modernize the urban grooves of the '60s and '70s; they simply resurrected the excitement soul music used to bring. In May 1988, the group released their debut single, "Tribute (Right On)." It peaked in the Top Five of the U.K. charts, one of many hits for the Pasadenas. The band's concerts received rave reviews for their tight musicianship and choreographed dance moves. Their first LP, To Whom It May Concern, appeared in October 1988, selling in excess of one million copies. The group's final album, Yours Sincerely, was released in 1992. The band landed on the U.K. Top 40 charts five times that year, with the single "I'm Doing Fine" selling more than 200,000 copies. In 2002 Cherry Red Records reissued To Whom It May Concern on CD. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
Elevate (1991) AND Yours Sincerely (1992)
Friday, June 6, 2008
BOBBY WOMACK
Now if you don't know who he is - shame on you!! That's all I'm gonna say!! AND you don't deserve this - !!!!
But here's a press release:
Bobby Womack's hottest soul classics collected for Capitol/EMI's 'The Best Of Bobby Womack: The Soul Years', to be released May 27 on CD & digitally
7 original Womack albums & newly discovered 1972 Apollo Concert recording to debut digitally on May 27
“As long as I've got that breath and my God-given talent, every time someone thinks of soul music, they'll remember me and say, ‘That's one motherf*cker who wouldn't die.’”
– Bobby Womack
I'm only going to leave this up for a short period of time - this is the stuff 'they' chase ....
But here's a press release:
Bobby Womack's hottest soul classics collected for Capitol/EMI's 'The Best Of Bobby Womack: The Soul Years', to be released May 27 on CD & digitally
7 original Womack albums & newly discovered 1972 Apollo Concert recording to debut digitally on May 27
“As long as I've got that breath and my God-given talent, every time someone thinks of soul music, they'll remember me and say, ‘That's one motherf*cker who wouldn't die.’”
– Bobby Womack
I'm only going to leave this up for a short period of time - this is the stuff 'they' chase ....
Thursday, June 5, 2008
SOLOMON BURKE
I HAD A DREAM (1974)
AND I HAVE A RANT:
1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect under Abraham Lincoln
1947 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era. While not the first African American professional baseball player in United States history, his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line, or color barrier.
1963 - "I Have A Dream" is the popular name given to the historic public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a defining moment of the American Civil
Rights Movement.
1974 - Solomon released this albumn ...
2008 - we have Barack Obama ... who said 'Change must be done with diplomacy"
Yeah - I know what has all this to do with music? WELL - whenever I listen to this album - all this comes to mind. Never lived it myself, Only seen it when I visit 'Murica, and don't understand it. 'Nuff said!
In the city I live in we are getting our FIRST EVER "Afro-centric school" as they are calling it! Don't understand that either ... why are the immigrants pushing to be segregated?? WHO is going to keep them from fighting & killing each other the way they are now is some of the schools?? They want to move those kids in the various gangs to that school. Who is going to want to teach their - the SWAT team??
In my day my Mother kept the rules on fighting really simple:
Rule 1: If you picked a fight and won - she kicked your azz for fighting.
Rule 2: If you didn't start the fight - and lost it - she your kicked your azz for losing AND then went and spoke to that person's Mother about their rotten kid!!
- AH WELL - I don't want to understand segregation. And I don't want to see it happen in my country either !! - end of rant!
ALL in all - it's a great album - and rarely shared. Enjoy!
AND I HAVE A RANT:
1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect under Abraham Lincoln
1947 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era. While not the first African American professional baseball player in United States history, his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line, or color barrier.
1963 - "I Have A Dream" is the popular name given to the historic public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a defining moment of the American Civil
Rights Movement.
1974 - Solomon released this albumn ...
2008 - we have Barack Obama ... who said 'Change must be done with diplomacy"
Yeah - I know what has all this to do with music? WELL - whenever I listen to this album - all this comes to mind. Never lived it myself, Only seen it when I visit 'Murica, and don't understand it. 'Nuff said!
In the city I live in we are getting our FIRST EVER "Afro-centric school" as they are calling it! Don't understand that either ... why are the immigrants pushing to be segregated?? WHO is going to keep them from fighting & killing each other the way they are now is some of the schools?? They want to move those kids in the various gangs to that school. Who is going to want to teach their - the SWAT team??
In my day my Mother kept the rules on fighting really simple:
Rule 1: If you picked a fight and won - she kicked your azz for fighting.
Rule 2: If you didn't start the fight - and lost it - she your kicked your azz for losing AND then went and spoke to that person's Mother about their rotten kid!!
- AH WELL - I don't want to understand segregation. And I don't want to see it happen in my country either !! - end of rant!
ALL in all - it's a great album - and rarely shared. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
NEW ORLEANS FUNK - THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF FUNK
(1960-1975)
Check the title — New Orleans funk is not the same thing as New Orleans R&B or soul, so this may not be the sound that you're expecting. Even if it opens with the Meters, this isn't a compilation that plays to familiar sounds or expectations. Instead, it lays the groundwork for funk as it was known in the '70s or plays forgotten, possibly never-heard sounds from the '70s. So there ain't a single cut here that you will have heard or recognize unless you are an unrepentant New Orleans fanatic; some names are familiar — the Meters, Lee Dorsey, Eddie Bo, Huey Piano Smith, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Robert Parker — but apart from Professor Longhair's "Big Chief," there's not a single thing here that regularly makes New Orleans comps or that will be recognized by anyone outside of the devoted. All 24 selections were chosen on one basis — whether their recorded grooves were funky enough to be sampled and reappropriated to something else. Most of them are, but that may be beside the point, since this is a collection for record collectors who don't specialize in this style — they're just looking for grooves. And there are some really good grooves here, but as singles a lot of them fall flat, unless they're delivered by somebody as undeniably assured and engaging as Lee Dorsey, whose two cuts wind up sounding like actual songs because he gives them the illusion of structure, even if they're just jams. Some other songs have the same fate, such as Aaron Neville's "Hercules," but this, by and large, is about sound, groove, and texture — and on those terms it's pretty pleasing. Still, this is not a treasure trove of great lost singles, songs, and performances — just a collection of good grooves worthy of sampling and making for good listening, providing you're into the sound and feel of the funkier side of New Orleans R&B, not the songs.
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
Check the title — New Orleans funk is not the same thing as New Orleans R&B or soul, so this may not be the sound that you're expecting. Even if it opens with the Meters, this isn't a compilation that plays to familiar sounds or expectations. Instead, it lays the groundwork for funk as it was known in the '70s or plays forgotten, possibly never-heard sounds from the '70s. So there ain't a single cut here that you will have heard or recognize unless you are an unrepentant New Orleans fanatic; some names are familiar — the Meters, Lee Dorsey, Eddie Bo, Huey Piano Smith, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Robert Parker — but apart from Professor Longhair's "Big Chief," there's not a single thing here that regularly makes New Orleans comps or that will be recognized by anyone outside of the devoted. All 24 selections were chosen on one basis — whether their recorded grooves were funky enough to be sampled and reappropriated to something else. Most of them are, but that may be beside the point, since this is a collection for record collectors who don't specialize in this style — they're just looking for grooves. And there are some really good grooves here, but as singles a lot of them fall flat, unless they're delivered by somebody as undeniably assured and engaging as Lee Dorsey, whose two cuts wind up sounding like actual songs because he gives them the illusion of structure, even if they're just jams. Some other songs have the same fate, such as Aaron Neville's "Hercules," but this, by and large, is about sound, groove, and texture — and on those terms it's pretty pleasing. Still, this is not a treasure trove of great lost singles, songs, and performances — just a collection of good grooves worthy of sampling and making for good listening, providing you're into the sound and feel of the funkier side of New Orleans R&B, not the songs.
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
DR. FEELGOOD POTTS
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts
Daddy B. Nice's #72 ranked Southern Soul Artist
Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts is the father of famed chitlin' circuit singer Sheba Potts-Wright, whose career has eclipsed her daddy's with the success of such hits as "Slow Roll It" and "Lipstick On His Pants."
But through it all Sheba has remained loyal to her father, singing stellar back-up on his best recordings.
That extra dimension has enriched Dr. "Feelgood's" music but by no means been the governing factor in its success. Potts is a seasoned musician and performer, and an engrossing character for Southern Soul fans because of his relative obscurity (even within the chitlin' circuit) until signing with Memphis' Ecko Records in the early years of the new century. It's then that his artistic identity began to emerge.
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts plies the bluesman-as-jokester tradition of Bobby Rush, Clarence Carter (the "Strokin'" phase) and chitlin' circuit legend Poonanny, and the song most responsible for Potts' growing notoriety is undoubtedly 2004's "Make It Talk," a well-executed and hilarious rip-off of Theodis Ealey's monster hit, "Stand Up In It." "Rip-off" is not a derogatory word in this instance, but an aesthetic description of the ferocity with which Potts rewrites Ealey's contemporary classic.
Potts is best doing what he does here, mimicking speech. It's as if he begins each phrase as a monologue and then delivers a singing "spin" to it. The result is a pleasant and soulful authenticity.
Daddy B. Nice's #72 ranked Southern Soul Artist
Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts is the father of famed chitlin' circuit singer Sheba Potts-Wright, whose career has eclipsed her daddy's with the success of such hits as "Slow Roll It" and "Lipstick On His Pants."
But through it all Sheba has remained loyal to her father, singing stellar back-up on his best recordings.
That extra dimension has enriched Dr. "Feelgood's" music but by no means been the governing factor in its success. Potts is a seasoned musician and performer, and an engrossing character for Southern Soul fans because of his relative obscurity (even within the chitlin' circuit) until signing with Memphis' Ecko Records in the early years of the new century. It's then that his artistic identity began to emerge.
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts plies the bluesman-as-jokester tradition of Bobby Rush, Clarence Carter (the "Strokin'" phase) and chitlin' circuit legend Poonanny, and the song most responsible for Potts' growing notoriety is undoubtedly 2004's "Make It Talk," a well-executed and hilarious rip-off of Theodis Ealey's monster hit, "Stand Up In It." "Rip-off" is not a derogatory word in this instance, but an aesthetic description of the ferocity with which Potts rewrites Ealey's contemporary classic.
Potts is best doing what he does here, mimicking speech. It's as if he begins each phrase as a monologue and then delivers a singing "spin" to it. The result is a pleasant and soulful authenticity.
HONEY & THE BEES
A minor but talented Philadelphia female soul quartet, Honey & the Bees made some relatively little-known records for the Arctic and Josie labels in the late '60s and early '70s with the aid of musicians that played on classic 1970s Gamble-Huff productions. These included Leon Huff himself on piano, and Ron Baker, Earl Young, Bobby Eli, and Norman Harris in the rhythm section; Harris and Thom Bell were among those who contributed to the songwriting. Honey & the Bees spent years on the club circuit, opening for bigger soul acts in Philadelphia and throughout the East Coast before disbanding in 1973. Group member Gwen Oliver married Fred Wesley of the JB's, whom she met when Honey & the Bees opened for James Brown in 1971.
Biography by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
Formed:
1965 in Philadelphia, PA
Disbanded:
1973
Biography by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
Formed:
1965 in Philadelphia, PA
Disbanded:
1973
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