|
|
Etta James was a singer who I always enjoyed on the periphery…in other words, I never made a concerted effort to really get that deep into her catalog but I understand, on a very basic level, that this was a Very Important Artist and not just because she sang one of the very best ballads ever sung in the history of people singing ballads. 1
So for this appreciation, I’m not going to try to pull off some “Etta James’s most important songs” post because I simply can’t claim to know this. I [...]
Continue reading ETTA JAMES: AN APPRECIATION
There are other songs that could have made this list but I really went with those songs that, at the end of the year, I still enjoyed as much as when I first heard ‘em. Interesting trends I noticed in my listening taste as a result of putting this playlist together: gospel was obviously big for me this year, reggae was not, and despite a wealth of Latin, only a few songs really stayed with me. As always, soul was huge but not so much funk. Jazz was totally shut out. We’ll have to see what 2011 [...]
Continue reading 2010 REVIEW (FROM THE BINS)
I sat in for Michael Barnes on KPFK’s Melting Pot today. Included a few tracks I’ve had up here of late but a lot you haven’t heard from me yet. Enjoy!
The Melting Pot, 11-14-10
Quantic: Cumbia De Dilla
The East St. Louis Gospelettes: Have Mercy On Me
Kanye West: Devil in a New Dress
The Whatnauts: I’ll Erase the Pain
Golden Harmonettes: I Do Love You
Syl Johnson: Try Me (LP Version)
Syl Johnson: All I Need Is Someone Like You
Syl Johnson: Soul Heaven (All from The Complete Mythology)
Continue reading GUEST SET: MELTING POT 11/14/10
The Flirtations: Nothing But a Heartache
From 7″ (Deram, 1969). Also on S/T.
Betty Moorer: Speed Up
From 7″ (Wand, 1967)
Viola Wills: Sweetback
From 7″ (Supreme, 1971)
Full Speed: It Must Be Love
From 7″ (Real Thing, 197x)
In just the last few weeks, I’ve been able to knock down a few singles that I’ve been hankering after for a while and coincidentally, all of them are by female artists.
The Flirtations’ incredible “Nothing But a Heartache” was introduced to me by Murphy’s Law and I was completely blown [...]
Continue reading HEY LADIES
I know this summer has not been as bountiful with posts as you (or I) would like; things have just been crazy busy with everything else. Just hold tight with me and in the meantime, enjoy this track above which is one of my recent acquisitions; I’ll be doing a formal post soon, promise!
Oh, and speaking of to-do post, I had been meaning to write about these two LPs for the longest time but hey, Franko saved me the trouble. Excellent!
Mary Jane Hooper: Don’t Change Nothing
I Feel a Hurt
From Psychedelphia (Funky Delicacies, 1997)
I was recently working on a 3 hour, NOLA-inspired consignment mix and it gave me a wonderful excuse to revisit all sorts of tunes, especially the slim but memorable catalog of Mary Jane Hooper, one of the best female vocalists to come out of the Crescent City. Hooper’s “I’ve Got Reasons” was one of the few releases she enjoyed back in the day but in the late ’90s, a mess of her unreleased material finally made it [...]
Continue reading BACK TO THE SECOND LINE
Barbara Acklin: I Can’t Do My Thing
To Sir, With Love
From I Did It (Brunswick, 1970)
Jackie Wilson: Go Away
I Get Lonely Sometimes
From Beautiful Day (Brunswick, 1973)
If you’re looking for soul records, it’s inevitable that you’re eventually going to cross paths with Brunswick. In the R&B world, the label is best known for its association with Jackie Wilson but at various points in history, they were also home to Young Holt Unlimited, Barbara Acklin, Willie Henderson, the Chi-Lites, The Lost Generation, even Lionel Hampton, Orlando [...]
Continue reading BARBARA ACKLIN + JACKIE WILSON: DOING THEIR THING
Patti Drew: Tell Him
From Tell Him (Capitol, 1967)
Fever
From I’ve Been Here All the Time (Capitol, 1969)
Hundreds And Thousands Of Guys
From Wild Is Love (Capitol, 1970)
All songs also available on Working On a Groovy Thing.
Ok, time to take a break from Gur-eulogies. I could have sworn I had posted about Patti Drew at some point but it was really in passing. Drew’s not exactly obscure but I wouldn’t go as far to call her a household name either. One of the many hopefuls to emerge [...]
Continue reading PATTI DREW: STOP AND LISTEN
|
gigs No gigs currently scheduled. I am available for private parties such as weddings, et. al. |
chatter