Monday, October 02, 2006

Cosby's Cool Breezin'

Bill Cosby - Ursalena

Bill Cosby's '60s and '70s funky 45s and albums have been discussed in prior posts (see this one for information about the Hooray For the Salvation Army Band album, from which today's selection also came), so I'll dispense with any narrative except to say that "Ursalena," which also gained 45 release as the flip of the album's title track, is a groovy piece of West Coast soul, featuring Cos' strained singing of the song's hook and dialogue capturing the tongue-tiededness that a beautiful woman can cause in a man. It's not as all-out comic as many of his other recordings, and stands as a nice piece of soul music as a result. Cos would re-record the song for Paramount in 1973 with support from his long-time musical collaborator, Stu Garner, but the original is far superior.

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