It's Promo Day!

Today's post is one I've intended to do for quite some time now. It's a departure from the norm in that I'm featuring newer material for the most part. But this post is overdue, because one of the pleasant (and unexpected) consequences of having this blog is that I have been contacted by several artists, record companies, and record marketing firms about various projects that are out there. Although quite a few of them are outside of the general scope of the blog, a lot of the material is actually very good, and I have wanted to feature some of it for some time. Today I'm featuring four CDs that have come out this year, two featuring vintage material or a more vintage-styled sound, and two which feature newer sounds, one by a well-known neo-soul diva and the other by an eclectic New York newcomer songstress.


Angie Stone (featuring James Ingram) - My People



Angie Stone (no relation to your ever-lovin' Stepfather of Soul) has been doing her thing in the R&B world for the last decade, and when she was signed to the newly-reactivated Stax label some soul purists decried the decision by Concord Music to record modern R&B on the legendary label. Frankly, I've always felt that such opposition is nonsense. I think the classic Stax recordings will endure forever, as have the Motown classics; Motown has not shied away from cutting new artists, and has had success in the recent decade with soulstress India.Arie. I don't see why Stax should be an amber-enclosed relic, and I think an artist like Angie Stone will not sully the label's name. Her new album, The Art of Love & War, is a nice piece of mellow neo-soul, featuring guest turns by Betty Wright and James Ingram, the latter of whom participates in "My People," a great piece of black pride soul which is my favorite from the CD, hence its feature here. Check out this info page on Stone and the CD for more details. Good luck to Angie and Stax on this new venture!


The Budos Band - His Girl



Daptone Records has been championed on this blog many times for its commitment to the classic funk sound, and The Budos Band II, the second Daptone album by the Afrofunk-inspired Budos Band, continues the label's tradition of excellence. My favorite from this CD is "His Girl," which starts off with a reference to the Motown classic "My Girl" but then slips into a blaxploitation-styled groove. Check out the Daptone Records page about the album for more info.


Shelly Bhushan - Picking Daisies



New York singer/songwriter Shelly Bhushan emailed me some time ago, inviting me to check out her first full-length CD, Picking Daisies (an EP, The Shelly Show, had been a prior release). Bhushan presents an eclectic mix of pop, soul, jazz and even a country-flavored track on Pushing Daisies which shows off her great vocal chops and fine songs. I've picked the title track for this post, as it finds Shelly soulfully working it out over a nice '70s-styled jazzy soul groove. The CD is available on iTunes and via CD Baby (check out the CD Baby info page). It's a good CD.


Mongo Santamaria - You Need Help (snippet)



Finally I turn to the new series of releases involving the classic Latin label Fania Records. You can't say "Latin Soul" without thinking about Fania, whose output of the '60s and '70s gave the world the salsa star Hector Lavoe, had records with Latin soul greats like Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto, and gave the world the Latin soul supergroup the Fania All-Stars. Part of the new Fania project was the CD Fania Live 01: From the Meat Market, on which New York's DJ Rumor mixed a very satisfying set of Latin soul and other Fania sounds. Featured here is the portion of Mongo Santamaria's "You Need Help" that Rumor used in the mix. I have heard this CD and La Voz, a great 2-disc comp of Lavoe's '60s and '70s sides (both with Willie Colon and as a solo act), and I'm excited about what Fania product is forthcoming!

An Article Worth Checking Out

I've covered Bettye LaVette, Daptone Records, Sharon Jones and William "Darondo" Pulliam on this site many times before, so this article from this week's Village Voice and this review of Bettye's new album, Scene of the Crime worth a read.

A Soul Meeting: Motown and New Orleans

Earl King - Three Knocks on My Door

The late singer/guitarist/songwriter Earl King was a powerhouse of New Orleans R&B, having hits like "Trick Bag" and "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" and having written classics such as Willie Tee's "Teasin' You" and Lee Dorsey's "Do-Re-Mi." King's career as a recording artist, however, was cut off abruptly in 1963 by the initial shuttering of Imperial Records (which would come back later in the decade as a Liberty Records subsidiary), and it would not be until the '80s and '90s that King would reach acclaim as a recording artist with blues albums on Black Top. This almost was not the case, however. After Imperial folded, King and several other New Orleans acts auditioned for Motown, which at the time was still trying out a diverse range of music to release while what would eventually be known as "The Sound of Young America" was still taking shape. King recorded several sides, but none saw the light of day after Berry Gordy was sued by Joe Ruffino, who claimed to have Joe Jones and Johnny Adams (who had joined King on the audition) contracted to his Ric/Ron setup. Fortunately, as always, the CD era resulted in the release of three of King's audition sides on the interesting comp Motown's Blue Evolution. Today's selection is my favorite of the three.

"Three Knocks on My Door" is a very atmospheric minor-key ballad with great horn charts (I like how they keep the mood nice and heavy, and the dramatic lines in the choruses) and an anguished vocal by King. There is no "Detroit" in this record; this is totally a New Orleans thing, and it really works. It makes one wonder what would have happened had Motown been able to make the New Orleans connection. I figure what eventually became the "Motown sound" would still have won out in the end, as it earned Gordy crossover success and lots and lots of money, but it may have allowed for a little more diversity in the Motown catalog. Unfortunately, we will never know.

Do The Sadness Strut!

Jeanne & The Darlings - It's Time To Pay For The Fun (We've Had)

A frequent situation in soul music involves songs that have a relatively sad message but a groove that has an optimism of its own. I discussed this in my post about Sam Baker's "It's All Over" - the groove is just too bright for the resigned lyrics Sam puts over. Today's selection was a Volt release by Jeanne & The Darlings, whose work for the label was unfortunately under-appreciated at the time. Lead singer Jeanne Dolphus didn't care for the message of "It's Time To Pay For The Fun (We've Had)," but she gave it a good reading (it almost sounds like she's performing in a musical, doesn't it?) and the group did their usual thing with spot-on harmony work. The "sad-song-with-happy-groove" kicks in on the choruses, when the groove switches to a strutting groove more akin to the "stacks-of-wax" Stax era than the "finger-snapping" time at which the record was made.

"Natural" Soul!

Towanda & The Total Destruction - Wear Your Natural Baby



Today's selection is one of those awesome records whose rarity has pushed its price into the stratosphere (well, at least for lower-tier collectors like me), but which has been made available for us "common folk" by CD compilation. I've seen listings online asserting that the "Towanda" singing lead on this one is Gloria Barnes, who acquired the "Towanda" name for a few releases during her tenure with producer Johnny Brantley. In Dangerous Rhythm's Colin Dilnot has a post on his blog featuring Gloria/Towanda and two posts featuring Johnny Brantley, and has penned the most comprehensive article so far about Brantley and his Vidalia Productions for the current issue (#5) of There's That Beat!, all of which are highly recommended, but this tune appears to be outside of the Brantley umbrella. Colin, or anyone, do you have any ideas?

Anorak info aside, "Wear Your Natural Baby" is, as one would expect, one of the many "black is beautiful"-themed songs focused on the Afro hairstyle, but on the first listen the listener is surprised by the smooth soul sound that comes forth and the very seductive vocals by Towanda. Here, Towanda admires a man's Afro and the strong message he's sending by wearing it. The mixture of politics and sensuality really works and the tune cooks nicely. The Romark 45 goes for a pretty penny or two (or forty-five thousand, considering that I see it offered online from a British seller for around US $450), so it's good that the tune is more easily acquired on the Goldmine CD Essential Mellow Groove!

Mable, Sammy & Motown

Mable John & Sammy Ward - I'm Yours, You're Mine



Sometimes a little rough-hewn early soul is just what the doctor ordered for your ever-lovin' Stepfather of Soul, and today's selection has been getting a lot of play in the car and on the iPod lately. It's a great piece of the rougher-edged material that Berry Gordy tried out as he attempted to find his niche in the record business at the dawn of the '60s, and it brings together two of the label's first acts. Mable John started her recording career as the first female artist on Berry Gordy's nascent Tamla label, although her best-known work would come later in the '60s for Stax (where she recorded her lone hit, "Your Good Thing (Is About To End)," which Lou Rawls would take to greater heights later on) and as the leader of the Raelettes for many years. "Singin'" Sammy Ward was bound to be a footnote in the history of the label, but his bluesy, gospel-tinged numbers are some of my favorites from the early Motown catalog, hence his prior appearance on the blog and in an episode of the podcast.

"I'm Yours, You're Mine" was a duet that was left in the can until the CD era, when it made appearances on various comps, including the great Mable John set My Name Is Mable, pictured above. I guess the goal was to get a Brook Benton-Dinah Washington kind of thing going on with the record, but Sammy's undisciplined, soulful shouting certainly undermined such a premise. Instead you get a hot piece of R&B-turning-the-corner-into-soul with a nice beat and Mable providing a nice "cool" sound to counter Ward's intense singing, and it really works. Dig the part in the coda where Ward loses the key of the tune by overdoing his "nothing come between us" ad-lib. That's real soul, folks!

Finally Got It!

Willie Hobbs - Action

One thing I enjoy as a record collector is when, while digging for new stuff, I find a "wants list" record that had been somewhat elusive. I first heard of today's selection during an installment of the Atlanta Record Fair (which takes place every other month). I was checking out Kurt Wood's table along with Brian Phillips, and Brian pulled up this 45 on the Soft label and tried it out on the turntable. I was taken by it right away, but Brian certainly wanted to buy it, so I begrudgingly watched him pay for it, take it home and subsequently feature it on The Electrophonic Sound of Brian Phillips. Truth be told, I got over my disappointment enough to not pursue scoring a copy of it right away, but yesterday, at the September edition of the record fair, I was able to get a copy (albeit the re-release of the tune on Mercury) of my own to love and to cherish and to call George ... well, to love and to cherish and to prseent here!

I'll defer to Sir Shambling's profile of Willie Hobbs for Hobbs' bio and discography (and some nice audio files of other recordings). "Action" was released on Soft in 1968 and was re-issued on Le Cam and then Mercury within a year thereafter. The tune features a nice, rushing, piano-based groove, over which Hobbs bemoans his woman's "all talk but no action" stance toward romance. For some reason, I think this song is similar to, or a version of, a song by the same name by the Showmen that I heard years ago. Can anyone confirm this?


(UPDATE, 9/25/07 - Thanks to Cies' comments, the connection is made between the Showmen and Hobbs versions of the song. Thanks for your help!)

More Meditations Getting Down!

The Meditation Singers - I've Done Wrong

The Meditation Singers and the "gos-pop" material they laid down for Checker Records have appeared on the blog and on podcasts, so I'll get right into today's selection. "I've Done Wrong" was another funky gospel number featuring that great Chess house band and Laura Lee's fabulous vocals. The lyrics are strictly sanctified, but the groove comes right out of those Pigmeat Markham's funky 45s and the other hot Chicago soul product coming out of the studio at the time.

(Thanks to John Glassburner for this track.)

Shall We Perish Unjust ... ?

The Impressions - This Is My Country

Sometimes the sounds of soul covered much more than "do the funky chicken" or "baby, I love you"; instead they painted a picture of the world as it existed for black Americans, and expressed hope for a brighter day. In many respects, the better day did come: legal segregation was abolished as a matter of law, and changing social attitudes curtailed much of the outright racial animosity that was common in the U.S. prior to the Civil Rights Era, especially in the South. Recent events, however, remind us all that there are many miles left to trod before the dream of racial equality is fulfilled. Please take time to visit the Free The Jena 6 website to learn about the events that have taken place in Jena, Louisiana, and the movement for fair judicial treatment of the young black men involved in the situation. To think that in 2007 a "harmless prank" of hanging nooses in a tree (that was a "whites only" hangout spot on a high school campus) could even occur, and that the DA has the nerve to say that race is not a factor in the situation, is disheartening. Fortunately, however, the continued movement for justice, coupled with the successful march in Jena this week, reminds us all that the fire still burns for freedom and justice. Today's selection has appeared on the blog before, but Curtis Mayfield's words still have value today.

Just A Little Bit of Lattimore!

Lattimore Brown - Teenie Weenie

Sir Lattimore Brown has appeared a few times on the blog, so I'll dispense with any introductions to jump into today's selection. "Teenie Weenie," Brown's 1961 cover of Roscoe Gordon's "Just a Little Bit," was the first 45 of two Brown would cut for the Duchess label before hooking up with Sound State 7 for the remainder of the decade. There's a nice rawness to this record, as Brown and the band really wail. It's that kind of rawness that makes Brown's records so neat - yes, Brown was not the best singer, technically, but he had soul to spare, and you can't help but feel it when you're listening to his material. I also am fond of the little "Tequila"-based horn vamp in the middle and end of the record. I should also note that the flip side, a cover of "(Night Time Is) The Right Time," is also very enjoyable, as Brown and the band engage in some serious stop-time testifying (I'll have to post it soon).

Jesse Anderson!

Jesse Anderson - Let Me Back In



As this blog and those of my fellow bloggers demonstrate on a very regular basis, the world of soul music is full of "footnote" artists who, for some reason or another, just couldn't break through to national fame and success. Chicago soulster Jesse Anderson had to settle for being one of the footnotes in the Curtom Records story, leaving behind some great material on Thomas, including a version of Curtis Mayfield's "Mighty Mighty" and a bluesy record called "I Got a Problem" that made some noise in the Windy City, but not much more. Today's selection, a cover of Tyrone Davis' "Let Me Back In," finds Jesse lending his distinctive vocals to a fantastic rhythm track. The electric piano-driven groove is really the star here, and the end result is a sultry little piece of "get down."

Simply Brook Benton

Brook Benton - Think Twice

The legendary Brook Benton has graced this blog twice, with the focus being on his early '70s recordings for Cotillion ("Let Me Fix It") and Stax ("I Keep Thinking To Myself"), but today's post jumps right into what made Brook a household name to begin with, his fantastic pop-slanted material for Mercury. Benton, who collaborated with Clyde Otis on most of his hits, brought his warm baritone and precise diction to well-orchestrated ballads like "It's Just a Matter of Time," "Endlessly" and today's selection, and Brook could hold his own on more swinging and uptempo stuff like "Kiddio" and "A Rockin' Good Way," a duet with Dinah Washington.

What I like amost about the Mercury sides is Benton's ability to put over the song's message almost conversationally, letting his choice of notes do the "heavy lifting" of the song's emotion. "Think Twice" (not to be confused with the Jackie Wilson - LaVern Baker duet) is very exemplary of this approach. The tune is literally conversational at first, and Brook quietly builds up the intensity as he goes along. It's been getting a lot of plays in my car, and I continue to be thrilled by Benton's masterful singing.

"Think Twice" has taken on extra life on the Internet via YouTube. There are two clips of Washington disc jockey/television personality/black activist Petey Greene on YouTube, one of which is the notorious (and NSFW) "How To Eat Watermelon" bit from an episode of "Petey Greene's Washington". As the segment opens, Benton's singing is heard while the camera focuses on the watermelon that Greene has set on the stage. Greene then recites the opening lyrics and launches into a tirade about how black people should "be themselves" and not be ashamed to eat watermelon. The decidedly unusual (and controversial) clip has received lots of attention, particularly after the release of the Petey Greene biopic Talk To Me, and other YouTubers have even developed parodies of it (one, "How To Drink Iced Tea," includes an unseen girl singing "Think Twice"). It's a very unusal showcase for the Brook Benton classic!