Thursday, June 05, 2008

Get on Down with Don Covay!


Don Covay - Yo Yo (Pt. 1)

Today is one of those days where a funky funky good time is in order, and Don Covay's rootsy "Yo Yo" fits the bill just nicely. The title track of a terminally obscure 1977 Versatile LP, "Yo Yo" sounds like it was recorded probably a good decade earlier. A tight funky groove keeps things cooking while Covay pushes through some "See Saw"-styled lyrics and then engages the background singers in some tomfoolery. "Hey, girl ... you with the big legs ... c'mere, let's do the African Twist," Covay calls out to one of the singers. "Wait a minute ... I didn't say do the Horse, I said do the African Twist," he corrects, calling on one of the other singers to join him. "Come on up close to me, like Joe Tex says, with your greasy-mouthed self." It's too much fun, and oh-so-funky! Get on down, Don!

2 comments:

Dan said...

This is awesome! Love it! What Don Covay LP's would you recommend? I need more of this in my life...

The Stepfather of Soul said...

Just about anything of his is worth checking out. There's a great CD comp (I can't recall off-hand the label) that presents his Mercy! and See Saw Atlantic LPs, and his Jefferson Lemon Blues Band album on Atlantic has been reissued also. There is also a series of CDs (again, the reissuing label escapes me) that reissue his '70s stuff on Mercury that is worth checking out.