First Listen: Marcus Miller – Free
I’ll be honest here, I did not know much about Marcus Miller before I decided to write this piece. I only knew him as the bass player for Miles Davis. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say:
… a jazz musician, composer and producer, perhaps best known as a bass guitarist with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. Miller is classically trained as a clarinetist, and also plays bass clarinet, keyboard, saxophone, and guitar, and is a capable singer.
Well hot damn! He’s won a Grammy for his solo efforts and has played with a veritable “who’s who” of Jazz and Blues musicians. I stumbled upon his latest release while browsing through my Miles Davis links. It immediately grabbed me with it’s raga-inspired lead off track “Blast” and held me down tight delivering funk, soul and some of the tightest bass licks I’ve heard. Here’s a sample of the soulful side of this record featuring the beautiful Corinne Bailey Rae covering the 1977 Deniece Williams track “Free”.
Marcus Miller (feat. Corinne Bailey Rae) – Free
Buy: Free
Link: Official SiteSecond Listen: Dreaming…
There’s just something about Alice Smith. I’ll admit it, I dug this one out of the pile of CD’s marked “Must Listen To Again” and I’m kicking myself for having slept on it for so long. With comparisons ranging from Patty LaBelle to Fiona Apple to Billie Holiday the one common factor is the presence of soul. There is something so honest in her phrasing and delivery, no smoke, no mirrors. It’s almost as if you are sitting in the corner of the vocal booth, just soaking in every corner of her four-octave voice. I’ve packed this post with two of my favorite tracks. Here’s just a little lyrical taste of “Dream”…
When I wake up in the morning time
I like to see you sleeping by my side
I think about the nights we had before
Wanna give you this and more
Let you know I truly adore youI’ll tell ya, she had me at “Let you know I truly adore you”. I’m a fan, give a listen and you will be too.
Alice Smith – Dream
Buy: For Lovers, Dreamers & Me
Links: Official Site
Go Go Music: Chuck Brown (DC’s Best Kept Secret)
Pete and I must have had a cross country mind meld, as I swear the post you are about to read was started on my laptop late Friday night.
My first exposure to Chuck Brown came earlier this year in the way of an interview with Mike Scott (Prince, Justin Timberlake) in Guitar Player magazine. While the good Rev. Scott gave utmost props to his former band leader he also spoke in great detail about “The Godfather of Go-Go” and how he shaped his sound growing up in D.C. I ran out and picked up “The Best of Chuck Brown” and immediately understood how. Take equal parts funk and Latin music, mix in a dash of soul and new jack swing (way before it’s time) and you’ve got the recipe for yet more break-filled music to move your rump.
Check out a handful of tracks, and if you don’t tap your foot, nod your head and wiggle in your chair upon listening, check your pulse!
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) (mp3)
Chuck Brown – The Love Theme From “The Godfather” (mp3)
Bonus Video!!
Here’s Chuck’s performance (With his band The Soul Searchers) of “We Need Some Money” from the 1986 movie Good To Go.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBpO2_gRYSE 336 278]
Buy: We’re About the Business | The Best of Chuck Brown
Links: Official Site | MySpace
Soul II Soul Sunday
I’ve been reading up on the latest happenings of Jazzie B. and Soul II Soul. It’s good to see that Jazzie is still going strong as a DJ around London. I really enjoyed the club / R&B groove of their first two U.S. releases, Keep on Movin’ and Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade. Here’s the biggest hit from Vol. II…
Soul II Soul – Get a Life
Buy Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade.
Check out the videos for: Keep on Movin’ | Back to Life | Get a Life
Catch up with Soul II Soul at their Official Site.
This is Ryan Shaw
Hello friends, your friendly neighborhood Gonzo here, checking in with some music for your soul.
Nearly a month ago, a friend whom is well aware of my tastes asked me if I’d heard Ryan Shaw. He said that he’d heard him on an NPR feature, and proceeded to rave about Shaw’s voice. As a testament, he informed me that Shaw opens his concerts with an a capella excerpt from the Sam Cooke classic, “A Change is Gonna Come.” Needless to say, I was intrigued. That day I went to Shaw’s MySpace page, and liked what I heard. His voice is incredibly strong, and it’s clear to see why he takes to performing Sam Cooke tunes. I finally got around to hearing the album, and I have to say, I’m pleased.
This isn’t neosoul, it’s an unabashed throwback to the golden era of soul in the 1960s. The album is a mixed bag of originals and covers, including Motown, Ashford and Simpson, Wilson Pickett and more. The disc is definitely worth picking up for soul heads. I will admit that I await Shaw’s artistic development with trepidation. While This is Ryan Shaw is a great disc, I’m not sure how long he can sustain my interest with this particular flavor. I’m reminded of how much I loved Jurassic 5’s first two releases, so explicitly throwing back to old school hip hop a la Sugarhill Records. Yet they failed to progress past that point, and I lost interest by their third album. Hopefully Shaw doesn’t meet the same fate, but develops more of his own compositions and style, and builds upon rather than simply recaptures classic soul music. In the meantime, enjoy his rendition of “I’ll Be Satisfied,” and mosey on over to his Myspace page for more.
Buy This Is Ryan Shaw.
…and the inevitable shameless plug: Gonzo’s Music-O-Rama. Peace!
My Singing Soul – Soel
Soel is Pascal Ohse, a Paris born and bred trumpeter and composer who’s a member of popular European group St. Germain. Memento is his first solo effort, where he pays homage to the American R&B, classic soul and jazz that he digs so immensely. What he have in this tune is a very obvious tribute to the Barry Whites and Isaac Hayeses of the world. Soel, you rascal! I kove it!
You can preview all the tracks on his official Warner Bros. site.
Buy Memento.
The Stylistics and the Wonders of VHS
Arguably one of the finest love songs ever made, an offering to you and yours on this Valentine’s Day 2007.
So I hooked up the old VCR tonight and threw in a random tape circa 1986. What I found was a surprisingly good quality tape of old BET shows Video Vibrations and Video Soul (Donnie Simpson!), and an old Night Flight too. Right now it’s Whodini’s “Growing Up” (with Laurence Fishburne as a drug dealer: “How much can you stand little brother, how much can you stand?”). Followed by Boogie Boys’ “Dealing with Life”, EU’s “Do Your Thing”, and best of all, “The Wiggle” by Rapper’s Convention! Somebody email me with a tutorial on how to YouTube this stuff. Do I need to buy a $120 video card? Say no.
Jeeps, why did I tape a Geraldo Rivera special? Time to switch tapes…
RIP James Brown: 1933-2006
Sad news on Christmas morning. The Godfather of Soul gone?? Just doesn’t seem possible.
1. CNN article.
2. I have reposted an entire James Brown show from 1973.
3. A post from earlier this year with a link to a great Rolling Stone article about JB.
4. Keep checking the Hype Machine for James Brown tunes.
Feel free to post any and all JB links and thoughts below in the comments…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkGg3XkN80U&w=425&h=350]
Back to the Roots: James Brown Live
Dec. 25th Update: With the passing of James Brown on this Christmas Day, I’m reposting this show. I don’t have time right now to link up all the individual songs below, but if you go here you can download the songs. Or, if you want the whole show in a RAR file, click here (it’s right around 50 MB).
Today’s R&B, soul, hip-hop, and music scene overall would be a vastly different place without James Brown. His influence is immeasurable. Where would Prince’s live show have been without the signature James Brown splits and mic stand tricks?
So we cruise back to the year 1973, and across the pond to Switzerland, to listen in on a James Brown show. The JB’s featuring Maceo Parker had just played an opening set, and then on came James.
For a great accompaniment to this show, read this great James Brown article in Rolling Stone.
James Brown
Live in Switzerland, 1973 (exact city & date unknown)
“Avalanche of Funk”01
Intro
02Get On The Good Foot
03Soul Power
04Make It Funky
05Bewildered
06Super Ad
07Try Me
08Hot Pants
09Sex Machine
10I’ve Got A Bag Of My Own
11It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World
12Please Please Please
13I Can’t Stand Myself
14Cold Sweat
