RAPHAEL SAADIQ: THE BONUS ROUNDS

Raphael Saadiq: Kelly Ray
From The Way I See It (Itunes version)

Raphael Saadiq: Seven
From The Way I See It (FYE version)

Call it the gift that keeps on giving (well, ok, more like a smart marketing idea) but while Saadiq’s new album has been gaining all sorts of fans with each passing week, he’s helping maintain interest by putting up several bonus tracks on different versions of the album. (Thanks to Eric Luecking for keeping me up to date).

Both keep true, more or less, to the sound and style of the album itself, especially “Kelly Ray” which clearly nods to the aesthetics of the Hi Records Rhythm section (down to the that signature, heavy Al Jackson backbeat). However, I’m a bigger fan of “Seven,” which doesn’t hew so closely to any single style though the fuzzy guitar reminds me of something out of Motown’s early ’70s, psychedelic-influenced years. And unlike the light, pop-y lyrics of “Kelly Ray,” this song is both personal and topical – powerful stuff.

More bonus cuts! Keep ’em coming.