soleil rare 13 - be real black for me.

Before getting into some more eclectic (and sometimes strange) stuff, here's a new selection of soul music. 

Donny Hathaway - A Song For You. 

Born in Chicago, raised in St. Louis, Donny Hathaway still is arguably one of the biggest talent in soul music. His warm voice, his game on the keys, his arranging skills, and overall his ability to sing about various topics got him a spot in the heart (and the record collection) of any black music lover. 

Taken from his "Donny Hathaway" album, "A Song For You" bears Donny's signature, with its piano introduction, and Donny's way of singing love with melancholy and almost sadness. No drums or percussions here, but light flutes and acoustic bass instead. Anyway, don't forget that this song is a cover of a Leon Russell's creation from 1970. The next year, Donny took it to another level on his own album.  

And like Prince said : "Donny's Hathaway's 'Song 4 U' ain't the same without you here"...  

Isaac Hayes - One Woman. 

First of all, one of the most famous cover art of soul music. This "Hot Buttered Soul" is an absolute landmark in music, showcasing Isaac Hayes' talent in just 4 tracks. Mr. Hayes was indeed an adept of long format songs. 

Backed by The Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes helped expanding the fame of the Stax sound, at a time when the label could have collapsed. In 1969, Stax's biggest asset, Otis Redding, had died, and the whole catalog had been lost to Atlantic Records. The label had to start everything back from scratch, and released 27 albums in a few months span. Among these, "Hot Buttered Soul" by a then-underappreciated session player and songwriter, Isaac Hayes. Hayes' touch, made of unusual orchestrations, was already very clear in this album. "One Woman" is pretty restrained, but still, it's a masterpiece. 

O.V. Wright - Mirror Of My Soul. 

He may not enjoy the same kind of fame as Al Green, Marvin Gaye or Barry White but O.V. Wright definitely has a strong fanbase. Some even call him the greatest deep-soul singer ever. The guy undoubtly has incredible skills, and a necessary asset in soul music : a voice. THE voice.  Unfortunately, like Donny Hathaway, he died too soon. 

"Mirror Of My Soul" was featured on his last album "We're Still Together", produced by his long-time mentor Willie Mitchell. Strangely, the song sounds like it was recorded during the golden era of the 1960's, and does not suffer from disco influence or anything like that. It's raw, it's warm, it's black, it's O.V. The fact that the music sounds like a Al Green's song is no surprise : they were on the same label, Hi Records, which fought with Stax for the domination on Memphis. So, expect violins, horns, hard snares and a O.V. at his best.    

The Gap Band - Yearning For Your Love. 

A few bands experienced a good transition from their soul/funk period into the disco era. The Gap Band (for Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band) did. A track like "Yearning For Your Love" proved that they stay true to themselves, providing a sound that's not very "commercial", not highly danceable. A sound that's not obvious. Something creative. 

The production emphasizes the guitars, the bass and the drums, and of course, Charlie Wilson's melodious voice. 

Some 13 years after its release, a young guy had this song sampled for its own game-breaking album. 

Black Ivory - You And I. 

Ok, you got your fix of deep-down voices. Now, here's some high-pitched one, with Black Ivory's Leroy Burgess. Hailing from Harlem, the band had a few hits through the 1970's and 1980's, thanks to Burgess' talent and ability to compose in different genres like soul, funk, disco, boogie... 

There's no denying the intro of "You And I" is catchy. The rest is just pure soulful music. Mellowness, memorable lyrics, and here you go with a timeless classic. 

Sampled by Q-Tip for "Gettin' Up" and Madlib for "Understanding (Comprehension)". 

Smokey Robinson - I'm In The Mood For Love. 

Ok, crappy cover. It's because it's not vintage. This album was released in 2006. Still, Smokey Robinson still sounds like a young man. After all, he is the sugar man, and he's seen it all, since his period among The Miracles, since his years at the top of Motown's hierarchy. 

Here, he just let the talent speak for itself, over a cover of "I'm In The Mood For Love", a classic popular song dating from 1935, combined with the jazzy instrumentation of James Moody, composed in 1949.

Considering the time of the recording, expect clean production, so for the average soul lover, it might lack rawness ; still, Smokey does provide emotions on this one. It's like a whisper in your ear. Crooning style. 

Lou Rawls - Trade Winds. 

Those were the glory days for Philadelphia International and for Gamble & Huff. The producing duo made a great move by adding Lou Rawls to their roster. Indeed, Lou Rawls was already a praised singer (he received compliments from Frank Sinatra for his singing skills) and scored big albums for the Philly-based label. In this pre-disco era, Lou Rawls helped Philadelphia International solidifying their base. Once again, it might lack the original rawness of soul music, but Mr. Rawls brought something else to the table. He acted like a bridge between jazz vocalists and soul singers. 

"Trade Winds" was featured on the "Let's Clean Up The Ghetto" album, by the Philadelphia International All Stars. Although the album was naturally produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, "Trade Winds" was written by Ralph MacDonald ("Where Is The Love ?", "Just The Two Of Us") and William Salter. A cuddle from Lou. 

Badder Than Evil - Child Of Tomorrow. 

The main guy in Badder Than Evil also wrote the music for "Twin Peaks" and "Mulholland Drive". Yeah. Badder Than Evil is a "fake" band, supposedly made of Andy Badale and Al Elias. Well, if Al Elias does exist, Andy Badale is really Angelo Badalamenti, a white composer who probably thought it would be better to wear a suitable name for a Blaxploitation movie. I guess he was right. 

Released on Buddah Records in 1973, the soundtrack for "Gordon's War" featured several tracks by the pair. Actually, the vocals on this track belong to soul singer Barbara Mason, who was part of the Buddah Records roster at the time, and who provided a powerful performance, matching the high level of composition of the song. 

Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come. 

Truly one of the most beautiful voice ever, one of the most charming singer ever. Like Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke died at 33, just when he decided to take his career to another level. This "Ain't That Good News" album was his last studio album before he was shot to death, in 1964. In this album, Sam Cooke took the road towards activism ; as a matter of fact, the Civil Rights Movement is the topic of "A Change Is Gonna Come". It constituted a major turn in Sam's career, as he was previously seen as only a polished pop singer. Unfortunately, his death prevented him from taking this change further. 

The legend says Sam Cooke wrote this song after hearing Bob Dylan's "Blowin In The Wind", a protest song that was written by a white man. The music, arranged by Rene Hall, is pretty far from the standards of soul music, but add to the mourning feeling with its extensive use of horns and chords. It's grandiose, soulful and gives you shivers.  

Roberta Flack - Let Them Talk. 

Ok, a last sweet before heading to bed. Though Roberta Flack was Donny Hathaway's soulmate, she didn't hired him for "Quiet Fire". Which is strange, since she worked with him before on "Chapter Two", and after on "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway". Here, she replaced him with Joel Dorn as producer.

This sweet effort features Roberta on the piano, backed by a sexy saxophone, vibes, and quiet drums and bass. It's Roberta Flack at her best, gentle, sweet. 

Notice that the album features some of the greatest musicians of the period (Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Bernard Purdie, Deodato - as an arranger -, Ralph MacDonald, etc.). 

Now you're ready for bed. 

You know where to find the link.