Gil Scott-Heron often uses his music to make strong statements on society. “The Bottle” shines a light on the damage that alcoholism wreaks on individuals,…
Soul
03/07/2018: “Lonesome Town” by Ricky Nelson
By the standards of the 50s, this sort of thing was pretty commonplace. The rockabilly crooner singing a plaintive love song with some heavy reverb…
20/06/2018: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by Amy Winehouse
The Shirelles’ 1960 original is richer and warmer. Dusty Springfield’s 1964 cover is much more lively. But Amy Winehouse, with her unique Jazz singers’ croon,…
06/06/2018: “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder
“All I Do” was written by a 16 year old Stevie Wonder in 1966 with Clarence Paul. It was first performed by Tammie Terrell in…
04/06/2018: “Good Times” by The Persuasions
Of all the various sounds, instruments, and tools that humans have for creating instrument, the most expressive and powerful is still the human vocal cords….
28/05/2018: “I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (4hero Remix) by Nuyorican Soul
In 1997, 4hero took the Nuyorican Soul (Masters At Work) version of the classic 1971 track by The Rotary Connection, with some standardly cracking vocals…
20/05/18: “Normalizo” by Letta Mbulu
“Normalizo” is absolutely dreamy, to be honest. The song really just floats from start to finish. Letta Mbulu is a singer from South Africa, and…
02/05/2018: “I Get Lifted” by George McCrae
It might be argued that the KC and the Sunshine Band’s version (1975) is funkier, but there’s something about George McCrae’s original 1974 version that…
30/04/2018: “Beggin'” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Released in 1967 and modernised by Madcon in 2007, “Beggin’” is an instantly recognisable funky masterpiece. The drum break works perfectly with the bassline to…
29/04/2018: “Celestial Blues” by Andy Bey
Sometimes less is more. Andy Bey proves this with “Celestial Blues”, which saw the light of day in 1974, on Experience and Judgement. It’s a rather sparsely…