Raphael Saadiqis Neo Soul plain and simple. His latest The Way I See It is the record that he’s been leading up to since his days in Tony! Toni! Toné!. The opening rave up “Sure Hope You Mean It” sets the tone straight out of the gate with vibe to spare. Joss Stone lends her sultry vocals to “Just One Kiss” and Stevie Wonder turns in a harmonica solo on the brilliant “Never Give You Up”. From Motown to Philly to Stax the influence is clear but this feels as real and relevant as anything in R&B these days. If you are a fan of soul and in need of a meal, this record is like mama’s cooking, warm and familiar and always your favorite. This is one of my favorite records of 2008 so far.
This may be the first and last time you will ever see the words “Avril Lavigne” or “Hayden Panetierre” ever mentioned here (at least by me). But today, these words will be uttered, and they’ll be uttered in the same space as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown!
Blasphemy? Perhaps.
It’s a double shot of giveaway goodness, people . Thanks to the good folks at Kohl’s and the Shout! Factory, these items are up for grabs to one lucky commenter.
I Got the Feelin’: James Brown in the 60’s - a deluxe, 3-DVD box set of a JB documentary and vintage performances.
A $50 gift card to Kohl’s.
And going against all of my instincts, I haven’t even opened the DVD set. I’ll force myself to Netflix it. So this is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. And what do I ask of you? Well, read on after the jump…
Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Duhks (pronounced like “ducks”) blend the unlikely bedfellows of traditional Celtic, Zydeco, Bluegrass, Soul and some Brazilian Samba into what they classify as “Roots, Worldbeat, Soul.” I sat down with their forthcoming release Fast Paced World (available August 19th) and was immediately drawn in by the scathing social commentary of the title track and the gypsy flavored instrumental detours of “Adam’s 3-Step” (complete with the crackling fire to lend to the atmosphere) and “Ship High in Transit”. The enchanting “Toujours Vouloir” (which translates to “To Always Want”) is completely engaging despite my not being able to understand the words as is the jazzy “Sleepin’ Is All I Wanna Do (Stars on a Sunny Day)”. For a taste of the mélange that is The Duhks check out “This Fall” below.
Tonight, an African American man is the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States. This is truly an historic day - one of the brightest in our nation’s 231 year history. And how does Hillary Clinton handle the news and reality of the day? She does everything but concede to Obama in her speech tonight. Classless as far as I’m concerned. Shame on her for not recognizing Obama, on a night when the entire Democratic party should be united, and the entire country should pause for a moment to salute Obama’s accomplishment.
I watched Wattstax today for the very first time. Now, I’m burying myself in Stax music, and totally in a 70’s funk / soul / R&B frame of mind. What a film!
Wattstax was a music festival that took place at the L.A. Coliseum in August of 1972. Organized by the Memphis-based Stax record label to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Watts riots, it featured Stax artists like Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, the Bar-Kays, the Staples Singers, Luther Ingram, and a lot of others.
The film features music footage interspersed with interviews of Watts residents, a pre-’Love Boat’ Ted Lange (Issac!), and Richard Prior, who all talk frankly about being Black in 1972 America.
By far the highlights for me were this Rufus Thomas performance of “Do the Funky Chicken”, and this, the Bar-Kays’ “Son of Shaft”. You just have to love the style of the times. And just check out how the Bar-Kays hit the stage. Now that’s showmanship! I guess the band wanted to come on to the field in a chariot, but that was rejected at the last minute. Well, the outfits stayed. S-t-y-l-e.
It really doesn’t get any better than this….
If you want a new (or renewed) appreciation for 70’s soul & the Stax label, as well as a fascinating document of the early 1970’s L.A. Black community, check out this film.
By the way, if anyone can recommend any other good films / concert videos that document this era of 70’s soul, funk, and R&B, please drop a comment below. I want more!
Falling on the right side of fine line between contrived and convincing, Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilkis brings an indie sensibility to the electro-pop sound of the 80’s with a huge dollop of soul on his solo debut Babies Dream Big. From ABBA to Zappa the entire lexicon of pop is well represented and feels so, so good. Among the 10 cuts you’d be hard pressed to find a moment that is not crafted with the utmost respect for it’s influences which range from the Stevie Wonder-esque funk of “It’s Been Great” to the 50’s Motown of the tender “I Wanna Know” with nods to Prince, ELO and Nintendo along the way. This is a must-have for all fans of all things 80’s. Don’t just take my word for it, check out my favorite track “It’s Been Great” below and hop aboard yourself.
We’re just over a month away from Paul Weller’s new album 22 Dreams (on Yep Roc), which I really look forward to hearing. I thought I’d take a trip back to his great blue-eyed British soul band of the 80’s, The Style Council. Wanting to incorporate R&B, soul, and jazz into his songwriting, Weller had walked away from his pioneering, mod-revival band The Jam in 1982, at their peak, and formed the Style Council in 1983. The Style Council sort of fizzled out by the end of the decade, but Weller has continued on with a strong solo career as sort of the Mod Godfather of the British music scene.
This is the kind of show that accompanies a nice sunny day, a cool breeze, and a nice lemonade (preferably spiked) on the front porch. No day time front porch action for me, by the way. High of 102 on Sunday, and 106 on Monday. And heeere we go. Another summer in the Sonoran Desert.
JamBonus → Oh, also, a blog synergy bonus: Steve at Maybe We Ain’t That Young Anymore has a sweet Jam show from 1980.
Enjoy!
The Style Council
March 10th, 1984 Goldigger, Chippenham, UK
Intro - Pete Drummond (BBC)
Meeting Over Yonder
My Ever Changing Moods
Speak Like A Child
The Whole Point Of No Return
Le Depart
The Paris Match
Party Chambers
Money Go Round
Headstart For Happiness
Hanging On To A Memory
Dropping Bombs On The White House
Long Hot Summer
In 1974, a DC-10 took off from the U.S. en route to Kinshasa, Zaire. The Rumble in the Jungle was about to go down - a heavyweight fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. It was Don King’s first big fight as a promoter. To precede the fight, a music festival was planned. So aboard that DC-10, not only were Muhammad Ali and his crew on board, but all of the musicians too. And their gear. And their wardrobe. Making the flight were Bill Withers, B.B. King, the Pointer Sisters, the Jazz Crusaders, Sister Sledge, James Brown and his crew (Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, and others), and even more musicians.
Brown and his gang were headlining the festival, and as you’ll hear, he and his great band were in prime form. The musicians spent a couple of weeks in Zaire, staying for free in luxury hotels, soaking up the nightlife, and having a great time. As Fred Wesley said in this article he wrote for the Seattle Times, “I think maybe some of the economic problems Zaire is experiencing today are a residual effect of that 1974 music festival.”
James Brown
Live in Zaire
September, 1974
1. Intro - The Payback
2. Soulpower
3. The Boss
4. Make It Funky
5. Doing It To Death
6. Bewildered
7. (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine
8. Cold Sweat - I Can’t Stand It
9. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
10. Gimme Some More
11. Get On The Good Foot
12. Zaire Soul
13. Sax Solo (Maceo)
14. Try Me
15. For The Love Of Money
16. The Payback (reprise)
17. My Thang
18. Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud
19. Please Please Please
TRIVIA: Do you know who won the Rumble in the Jungle? Ali (32 yrs old) or Foreman (24 yrs old)? Well, one of ‘em went down in the 8th round. You can watch Round 8 here to find out…
DVD: I just Netflixed an Oscar winning documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, which not only documents the fight, but the music festival as well. It’s called When We Were Kings. You can find out more about it by clicking the DVD cover. I’ll be watching it soon.
Foreman vs. Frazier (1973) -Before George Foreman faced Muhammad Ali in Zaire, he had risen from from the ranks since his gold medal victory at the 1968 Olympics. In 1973, he faced Joe Frazier, completely dominating, with the fight being called in the 2nd round. Check out George Foreman, before the Grill ®.
Welcome to Ickmusic. I'm Pete (the Ick in Ickmusic). If you're like me, and your tastes in music are all over the map, I think you'll like it here. The audio files I post are here to give you a taste. If you like what you hear, buy it! You can use the links I provide, or use any method you like, but please do support the artists. Thanks for stopping by.
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