|
|
Orchestre Du Bawobab: Kelen Ati Len + Jarraf
From Visage Du Senegaal (Disques Buur, 1974)
Amongst certain circles of Afro-funk fans, “Kelen Ati Len” is probably the best-known song by this Dakar band but this LP is hardly a one-tracker 1 No doubt, “Kelen Ati Len” is killer with its crashing drums and angular guitar work. It’s like Bawobab/Baobab members had spent a few years jamming with the Kashmere Stage Band before returning to Senegal.
However, I included “Jarraf” because you get a whole other sense of cross-cultural play with its [...]
Continue reading ORCHESTRE DU BAWOBAB: CROSS-ATLANTIC CONNECTIONS
Raymond Winnfield: Things Could Be Better
From 7″ (Fordom, 196?). Also on Funky Funky New Orleans 5.
I picked this up on my last trip to the Groove Merchant, in November. The track itself would have been enough to draw my attention…like Funky16Corners described it: “downtempo Crescent City funk.” Indeed, the instrumental version of this appears as the flipside to Ernie and the Top Notes’ funk classic, “Dap Walk” but to me, Winnfield’s vocal version is considerably superior (maybe I just have a bias against the overuse of sax-as-vocal-replacement). Indeed, [...]
Continue reading RAYMOND WINNFIELD: WHEN LOVE GOES SOUTH
Jimmie Raye: Look At Me, Girl
From 7″ (Tuff, 1964)
This 7″ came from Nydia Ines Davila (who works at Daptone Records) and though she warned me that the sound quality was a bit “muffled” I thought this sounds great. Of course, I am a total sucker for a good soul track built around an opening piano. I fell for this single just from the first four bars with the piano, guitar and drums already crafting something wonderful before you even hear Raye crooning “look at me, girl…cryiiiiiiiiiiiing” with some glorious [...]
Continue reading JIMMIE RAYE: TEARS DON’T STOP
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band: What Can You Bring Me?
From You’re So Beautiful (Warner Brothers, 1971)
Craig G: Take the Bait
From Now, That’s More Like It (Atlantic, 1991)
A Tribe Called Quest: Rock Rock Ya’ll
From The Love Movement (Jive, 1998)
(Dec. 2011: This is another repost/resurrection. First posted in 2007 but original comments were lost. Since I just wrote about this Wright/Watts 103rd song for the Oxford American, it also seemed totally apropos to bring it back. –O.W.)
Original post from ’07: The original song [...]
Continue reading MARLEY MARL/CRAIG G VS. ATCQ: WHO FLIPPED IT BETTER
Bobbi Humphrey: Blacks and Blues
From Blacks and Blues (Blue Note, 1974)
KMD: Plumskinzz
From 12″ (B-side of “Nitty Gritty”) (Elektra, 1991)1
Eric B. and Rakim: Keep the Beat
From Don’t Sweat the Technique (MCA, 1992)
(This was originally posted four years ago but because of how my commenting system has changed since then, I lost all the original comments about it and that seemed like a shame. As it was, I was listening to “Plumskinz” again – I never can get enough of this song – and I figured, “hell, why [...]
Continue reading KMD vs. Eric. B and Rakim: Who Flipped It Better?
Katunga: Oh Cherie
From Mira Para Arriba, Mira Para Abajo (RCA, 1973)
Katunga was a 1970s Latin funk/rock outfit out of either Peru or Argentina (I’m still not 100% certain if they were Peruvians who recorded/toured in Argentina or the other way around) with a few LPs to their name. “Oh Cherie” comes off of what is probably their “best-known” LP (to American heads), Mira Para Arriba, Mira Para Abajo (“look up, look down”) thanks to a number of b-boy break-type joints, especially “Palo Bonito.”
However, I keep coming back to “Oh [...]
Continue reading KATUNGA: OH CHERIE, AMOUR
(As 2011 winds down, I’ve been feeling guilty for the relative sparseness of my record posts (as opposed to other kinds of posts). I’m beginning to realize that while writing is a passion, blogging is a hobby and one that has to compete with other interests (the podcasting for example). But at the end of the day, I feel like I’m missing out on the simple pleasures about writing about a song or an artist (without it having to be a RIP post, of which there’ve been too many of late). So with some holiday breathing time, I’ll probably be [...]
Continue reading ARETHA: OH NO? OH YES!
I’ve been in the midst of digitizing my old hip-hop tapes and the last actual cassette mix-tape I put together was this: Double Flip Vol. 9, originally created in 1999/2000. It was a double tape (hence the name) and packs in 2 hours of music.
You can find more info and the tracklist here.
Enjoy! (And happy holidays from Soul Sides to you and yours).
|
gigs No gigs currently scheduled. I am available for private parties such as weddings, et. al. |
chatter