For a long time I've thought that the most hip-hop thing about Mary J. Blige's landmark 1992 album What's the 411? wasn't the at-the-time-unheard incorporation of boom-bap breaks into a sung R&B context, but Blige's cover Rufus & Chaka Khan's "Sweet Thing." A 21-year-old with a flat voice, a honking tone, and less…
Eddie Floyd is a soul legend, who recorded several fine singles for Stax, including the ingenious "Knock on Wood." Now he is 75 and back with an album of Christmas originals, I'll Be Your Santa Claus. You'd probably expect the title track to be a little creepy (Santa gives toys, he doesn't throw dick, damn it), but…
I had no idea that the person that I dismissed immediately upon hearing the sundresscore "Put Your Records On" was capable of soul so gut-wrenching. This reminds me of Isaac Hayes without all the sonic humidity or maybe Portishead invoking Isaac Hayes. Whatever, it's an absolute highlight of the vintage soul-obsessed …
The strings, the horns, the voice — in that order.
NASA is holding a contest to name the "wakeup songs" played during the last-ever Space Shuttle missions. You can submit an original composition, or pick from a list of songs. The problem: They all suck. The solution: These 10 tracks.
