Alboy's Best of 2011: #3

2012-04-12 by The Mighty Alboy

Ghost Poet – “Survive it”

Just a beautiful track this, from South London (Tooting Bec!) lad Obaro Ejimiwe, aka Ghost Poet.

If you havent got his LP peanut butter blues and melancholy jam, then you’re missing out- like Ghost Poet missed out on the Mercury Prize in 2011. Shoulda been his…

Cool video too:

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Happy Birthday Mr Bowie

2012-01-08 by Hal Berstram

David Bowie – John I’m Only Dancing (Again) 1975

Sorry for prolonged absence from this blog… I’ve returned to mark the occasion of David Bowie’s 65th birthday with a little tune from 1975, which (I think) was an outtake from the sessions for Young Americans. It’s essentially a funk remake of the 1972 single “John I’m Only Dancing”, and the basic musical structure was used with different lyrics and an additional main two-chord theme as “Stay” on Bowie’s 1976 Station To Station LP.

“John I’m Only Dancing (Again) 1975” was issued as a single in 1979 (in 7” and 12” versions – the version uploaded here is the 7 inch mix, largely because I didn’t have any mp3 copy of the 12 inch mix to hand, and my old 12 inch single of it is in storage at the moment). The 12” version was also an extra track on the early 90s CD reissues of Bowie’s back catalogue on Rykodisc (sadly the newer EMI reissues don’t have any extra tracks on them). I own it on an early 80s compilation called (strangely enough) “Rare Bowie” from which I might post another oddity soon…) Anyway I am to be more active here this year, so see yon soon.

note: the mp3 file begins with about 5 seconds of silence due to poor editing by me. Sorry.

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New Year Soul (3)

2011-02-09 by The Mighty Alboy

Mayer Hawthorne- “The Ills”

Completing (belatedly) the trio of soul for 2011, is this new school number from Stonesthrow’s Mayer Hawthorne.

Born and raised in Michigan, his sound is rooted in Motown soul. With his falsetto vocals and multiple-instrumental talents, he’s part Smokey, part Curtis and part Stevie, but although he’s real old school, and draws from the same well, he’s got his own style and sensibility too.

I strongly recommend getting his album A Strange Arrangement (see Stonesthrow link below).

He’s also something of a vinyl junkie and purveyor of soul rarities- if you can find it, I also recommend his Soul with a Hole mix.

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New Year Soul (2)

2011-01-10 by The Mighty Alboy

Naomi Shelton and The Gospel Queens – “What Have You Done, My Brother?”

Not much time to write, but wanted to whack this up to keep to my new year’s “once a week, minimum” posting resolution.

Fortunately, this track from Alabama-born gospel veteran Naomi Shelton speaks rousingly for itself- and the pedigree of the artists involved, some of whom performed in the early days with James Brown and Wilson Pickett, is fully evident.

Daptone Records have signed her/them, and the What have you done LP, released in 2009 was their first major release. Get over there and check ‘em out!

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New Year Soul (1)

2011-01-02 by The Mighty Alboy

Superlatives – “Don’t know how (to say ‘I love you’)”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It seems I have the honour of opening DC for 2011 with the first in a triptych of soulful earfuls that have been keeping me feeling toasty and warm in recent months.

This first one took me a good few years to track down- I heard it first on an amazing mix Pete Rock did on Radio 1 world service about 5 years ago, where he just played his favourite breaks, and as you would expect, it was belter after belter. I finally got a name for this particular number and tracked it down at the end of last year

There’s so much to recommend this fine motown jam- it really has got everything. The arrangement is especially amazing- I love the breakdown at at 1’05”- the brass fanfare and spine tingling cry of “BABY!”, and the way those tight and heavy drums drop back in is just awesome.

So- my opener for 2011, hope you can dig it!

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To the Max

2010-06-30 by The Mighty Alboy

Gil Scott Heron vs DJ Asparagus- “Your Daddy Loves You”

A further tribute to the youngest addition to Dilated Choonz, young Max Shooter- this one perhaps more up Squeaker’s alley than the ruffness from Double K…

A smooth jazz house edit of Gil Scott Heron’s your daddy loves you by Stockholm’s DJ Asparagus. In this case a moving message of love to Gil’s young daughter, but I’m sure the sentiment applies to the Max Daddy n’all

Congratulations to mother and father- and to baby Max for finding such a fine family to be born into! Love to all…

x

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A combination of the old and the new

2010-04-22 by P Rice

6th Borough Project – Planets

While I’m here, this is a tune I’ve been enjoying recently.

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RIP Willie Mitchell (1928-2010)

2010-01-09 by Hal Berstram

Al Green – I Didn’t Know

Received the sad news earlier this week that one of THE great soul producers of all time, Willie Mitchell, had passed away aged 81.

Mitchell started out as a jazz trumpeter then moved into production at the Memphis-based Hi Records in the 1960s. As Al Green’s producer for 9 albums on Hi from 1970 until 1976, and developed a distinctive production based around a razor-sharp drum sound, innovative string and horn arrangements and organ and guitar work that could be fiery or smooth as the mood demanded. The Hi backing group – featuring such brilliant musicians as Teenie Hodges on guitar, Charles Hodges on organ, Leroy Hodges on bass and drummer Howard Grimes – were an indispensable part of the sound. With them, Green and Mitchell produced at least half a dozen classic soul albums in that time period – Al Green Gets Next To You, Let’s Stay Together, Call Me, Al Green is Love – the list goes on.

In the 2000s, they hooked up again for I Can’t Stop and Everything’s OK, two albums sounding like they could have been recorded in 1974… which was just fine with me. The old magic was still there.

Al Green albums always used to feature a long, slow track – usually a cover of an artist who would not normally be associated with the soul genre, but whose work was transformed in Mitchell’s hands (e.g. The Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” or Kris Kristofferson’s “For The Good Times”.) The track featured here, however (from Al Green Is Love) is a Green original. Although I like Green on uptempo or downtempo numbers equally, there’s just an amazing intensity about these long cuts that you will not find many other places in the whole of music. And the production is just perfect.

You’ll be much missed, Willie.

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The Truth & Soul of Lee Fields

2009-06-26 by The Mighty Alboy

Lee Fields and the Expressions- “Honey Dove”

“Wow” was what I first thought when I heard this.

I thought I’d heard em all, but this guy passed me by. Lee Fields has a voice pitched perfectly between the raw emotion of Otis Reading and the sweet control of Al Green. He had a few well thought of, but hard to find (and believe me, I’m lookin’!) singles and an LP out in the 70’s, when he was somewhat limitingly described as “Little J.B.” on account of the similarity of his stylings to those of the GFOS, but that was it. Thankfully for us all- and thanks to the good folk at Truth & Soul records- he’s had a bit of a renaissance since mid-90s and has started putting tracks out once again, and he’s back with his own sound.

I first came across this track on the Truth & Soul compilation Fallin’ off the Reel vol 1 (which you should seriously check), and besides thinking “wow”, I couldnt work out if it was real old- it sounds like bona fide soul- or brand new- it’s too crispily produced to be the product of a 60s/70s studio.

Turns out it’s brand new- the work of Lee Fields and the Truth and Soul studio band called The Expressions, comprising members of El Michels Affair (who I swear Big J posted some time ago, doing a cover of Wu Tang’s C.R.E.A.M. but I cant find it to link)

A lot of talent is well in evidence, and there’s a lot more on the following records you really really must check:

Lee Fields & The Expressions- “My World”

El Michels Affair- “Sounding out the City”

Various Artists- “Falling off the Reel volumes 1 & 2” [Truth & Soul Records]

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Ray Vs The Muppets

2009-04-26 by Babe Rainbow

Ray Charles – It’s Not Easy Being Green

Here’s a lovely, soothing number from Brother Ray to ease you out of the weekend. No points for guessing that this is a cover of the Kermit classic. However in Ray’s hands, this kid’s song is transformed into something truly beautiful. One can only guess at what motivated him to cover it. Whether you hear it as a song about the environment, or about prejudice or simply about being a frog, its certain to give you goosebumps, and perhaps even bring a tear to the eye.

The album that features this track is entitled ‘Renaissance’. It also has a great versions of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Living For The City’ and the Randy Newman song ‘Sail Away’. As far as I’m aware the album has never been reissued on CD but Hal and I were lucky enough to come across a vinyl copy at record fair last year.

Sweet dreams everyone….

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