Mitty Collier “Got To Get Away From It All” (Chess 2050, 1968) One of the points of me even writing about soul music is to expand the narrative beyond what is already known and cherished. Today’s post is brought to you by the weird fetish around Nina Simone, which tends to be something of the…
Category: Streamed Song
The Radiants “The Clown Is Clever” (Chess 2021, 1967)
The Radiants “The Clown Is Clever” (Chess 2021, 1967) In a long line of declarative gems, you’d think The Radiants would be a bit better known beyond their few entries into the Billboard Hot 100. Alas, for whatever reason they could never break through in a huge way like The Impressions or The Dells did….
Kim Weston “Fancy Meeting You Here” (1966, Unreleased. From The Motown Anthology, 2005)
Kim Weston “Fancy Meeting You Here” (1966, Unreleased. From The Motown Anthology, 2005) The complications of the Motown release and promotional schedule putting The Supremes first, and just about everyone else second-to-never really did a disservice in getting audiences some rather wonderful performances by a host of Motown artists. The most wonky in stories would…
Della Reese “Ninety Nine and a Half Won’t Do” (RCA 47-7996, 1962)
Della Reese “Ninety Nine and a Half Won’t Do” (RCA 47-7996, 1962) Della Reese didn’t need Roma Downey to get in touch with the angels. Cutting her teeth in Gospel before she crossed over to pop and jazz, she quite often found herself having to get her sanctified on in song. This wonderful take on…
Carmen McRae “I’m Always Drunk In San Francisco” (Atlantic 2485-B, 1968)
Carmen McRae “I’m Always Drunk In San Francisco” (Atlantic 2485-B, 1968) Always glamorous with a slightly gutsy glide to her voice, Carmen McRae blurred the lines of what it meant to be a Jazz vocalist in a very Queer way. Today would have been her 95th Birthday, but she left behind a rather epic catalog…
Dionne Warwick “The April Fools” (Scepter 12249, R&B#33 Pop#37, 1969)
Dionne Warwick “The April Fools” (Scepter 12249, R&B#33 Pop#37, 1969) I think sincerely, the biggest joke I can think of this morning is that this holiday referencing Dionne Warwick record was actually released in May of 1969, not in April as would literally make sense. Anyways, what stands here is one of the prettier and more…
Anita Humes “Just For The Boy” (Roulette 4575-B, 1964)
Anita Humes “Just For The Boy” (Roulette 4575-B, 1964) She’s perhaps one of the most innocent and earnest voices in Soul Music. So it’s no surprise that Anita Humes got singled out to give audiences some of the most angst-ridden pop perfections of the early 1960s. Balancing the strife of love, affections and societal expectations…
Martha & The Vandellas “No More Tear Stained Make – Up” (From the LP Watchout! 1966)
Martha & The Vandellas “No More Tear Stained Make – Up” (From the LP Watchout! 1966) Where would I exactly be in making a presentation on girl groups without thinking of Martha & The Vandellas? Pretty much nowhere, since, after the super obvious case of The Supremes, Martha Reeves and her singing partner’s catalog is…
The Shirelles “What Is Love?” (From The Shirelles Greatest Hits Vol II, 1967).
The Shirelles “What Is Love?” (From the LP The Shirelles Greatest Hits Vol II, 1967). As I get ready for my first ever lecture on girl groups, I’m combing through powerpoint slides and notes and MP3 of who and what mattered most in the girl group era, and I’m humbled that I get to bring Women’s…
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles “Danny Boy” (Parkway 935 Pop#76, 1965)
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles “Danny Boy” (Parkway 935 Pop#76, 1965) It seems appropriate for St. Patricks day to post this song long associated with “Irishness” or whatever, and take a glimpse into the long road that is Patti LaBelle (and her fellow BlueBelles) career. There’s numerous covers of this song, and it’s not too…
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