Favorite Albums of 2017 Number 5 - Jackie Shane's Any Other Way

Several years ago I was obsessed with finding obscure soul from the 60s. This was before Spotify, but the Internet still provided via various music blogs that would post MP3s of long out of print compilations and albums by artists I'd never heard of. It was on one of those compilations that I first heard a song called "In My Tenement." I knew nothing else except that the imagery and delivery painted a picture of real urban living that felt more alive and underground than most anything else I had ever heard in the genre or the period. Only recently did I learn that the singer, Jackie Shane, was a transgender woman who should have been a huge star, but, mysteriously, decided to quit in 1971. She never recorded a full studio album, but this year, Any Other Way, a collection of all her singles and the one live album she ever put out gives as complete a picture as we're going to get of this artist.

I'm always fascinated when I find artists who didn't quite make into the collective pantheon of recognized greats for any given era. Nostalgia sometimes has the effect of making it seem like there were only a handful of artists working in any particular era. Or that only that relatively small group of remembered artists had anything to contribute. So when performers like Jackie Shane are discovered it's a truer window into that time than the more well known acts that have been re-contextualized over the years. The fact that it's an artist that was marginalized for who she was opens a door to corners of the 60s we don't hear much about. And on top of all that, this was an incredibly talented artist who was poised to be a breakout star, to the point she was even invited by George Clinton to join Parliament Funkadelic, but declined.

All social context aside, what remains is an artist with a unique voice in the genre. Blending a velvety vibrato with an energy and ferocity that could be unleashed at will, it's not hard to see why at one point she was asked to leave a tour with Jackie Wilson for upstaging him. The album's title track was her biggest hit and it's not hard to see why. It's a song that she imbues with a subtle complexity in her delivery that is both weary and self-assured as she gives new meaning to the line "Tell her that I am happy/Tell her that I am gay/Tell her I wouldn't have it/Any other way." My favorite track on the album is probably "Walking the Dog" which is effortlessly smooth and funky. The band(s) on these songs are all tight, but the way Shane's voice glides is pretty amazing, whether she's belting out a impassioned scorcher or attacking an upbeat dance number.

The live portion of the album is a lot more raw and gives us a glimpse of what the energy of her shows was like. Here the swagger and ferocity is fully unleashed on classics like "Money (That's What I Want)," a grinding and funky "You Are My Sunshine" and even James Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." In between songs, her banter reveals a personality that was ready for the big time. I can only imagine what her career may have been like, the impact she might have had, if she had continued performing all these years. This is an artist that deserves to be more than a cult figure for music nerds to collect.

On The Run With Rhonda Lee

Last week we packed up the family and headed out of dodge to avoid hurricane Irma. Driving out of Florida was like something out of Children of Men, with a trip to Atlanta which normally should have taken 9 hours, taking exactly 22 hours and most of our sanity. None the less, once we were out, while the hassles and stresses continued, we were instantly calmed by mountains and winding roads through the deep south. We spent a night in Atlanta, a couple nights in Nashville, a couple more in Knoxville with many little pit stops in between. Sure, at most stops north of Orlando, I would look around in a panic until I saw at least one person of color before almost loudly sighing in relief, but still there's a lot to love about The South. We encountered many very nice people all over the place. At a lunch stop in Chattanooga we went to The Terminal Brewhouse where the parking attendant let us park for free on seeing our Florida tag. The food and beer was amazing there, by the way. I can't wait to go back as soon as I can.

All this driving meant time to listen to music. At some point, I'll have to really dig in and make a list of the best road albums, but this trip there was one album in particular I kept going back to and which I'm already predicting will still be my favorite album of the year when it's over: Nicole Atkins' Goodnight Rhonda Lee. I'd already been listening to this before last week, with my love for it increasing with each passing month since its release back in July, but after this week it has jumped to a whole new level for me. This is truly a masterpiece of an album.

Nicole Atkins has been putting out great music for at least 12 years, all of it soulful and demonstrating a love for classic soul, R&B, country and rock while still maintaining a fresh feel - it's never been "retro" just for the sake of it. But on Goodnight Rhonda Lee it's like she leaned way into these styles and let her love for the artists and sounds that inspire her come out completely through her song writing and performance from the inside out. She dug into what makes her influences tick and then mastered it in her own way. These songs are somehow meticulously crafted in a way that makes them sound effortless. It's like these songs always existed (or at least since about 1975 or so) and she sort of plucked them out of some parallel universe that was waiting for her, this band and this production team, specifically, to record them for the first time. The result can only be called timeless. It's of today as much as it is of yesterday and the future (I hope the future, because more of this would be amazing).

There isn't a single song on here that is less than stellar and the production is exactly my favorite kind, putting you in the room and giving it all a live feel. The band is loose but clearly made up of amazing players who know how to swing and create the right pockets for it all to breathe. It's funky and real from start to finish. The word that comes to mind is organic. Atkins has a voice that can reach amazing powerful heights, but her true talent is that she knows how to control it so well. Her voice goes from soft to beyond the moon like a tidal wave, calling to mind greats like Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison among others, but always uniquely her. There's a vulnerability in every note, that's compelling as fuck but that vulnerability comes with confidence and fearlessness and that effortlessness that I mentioned before.

I could go song by song, but instead I'll give you a couple stories. At one point, I was playing the album and Shayera (my 8 year old) calls from the back seat with a song request. I barely heard her and got kind of upset because I was into the album and said "NO! Right now, I want to listen to this album all the way through!" Only to realize her request was for "Goodnight Rhonda Lee," which was the very next song to play. Later, Zoey (my 4 year old) requested "the walking song" which is actually "A Little Crazy," the first song on the album that she sings along to every time. So, yeah, my girls have good taste.

I'm sure I'll be writing a more in depth take on this at the end of the year. Until then, do yourself a favor and listen to this over and over again. It's that damn good. Also, check out this Audiotree session she did a few weeks ago. Damn, I need to see her live.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 6

St. Paul and The Broken Bones are a live band. That can't be argued with. I've seen them twice already. The first time, I drove 4 hours to see them -my first time alone at a concert - in Orlando and was completely blown away. I already have tickets to make that exact 4 hour drive to see them again in March and this time, I'm probably even more excited, because now I know what I'm going to experience. And maybe this is why I would place their albums so high on any list. Maybe, every time I hear their music, I'm transported to that religious experience. I know that's at least part of it. But also, Sea of Noise is a demonstration that they are growing. They are reaching beyond any idea of them being just a soul revival, a fucking amazing one, and trying to not only expand their sound, but their content. Their concept. Their point of view. Their new album brings a new sense of timeliness, funk, exploration and confidence that only gets better with more listens.

Anchored by 3 short interludes called "Crumbling Light Posts" the album brings to mind the 70s more than the previous effort, which was much more anchored in 60s southern soul. This is more high concept, exploratory and socially conscious. It's a bit of soul searching, basically. But it never gets heavy handed because first and foremost is the soul. After that short intro, we get right to it with the funky "Flow With It (You Got Me Feelin Like)." Right off, what I noticed here was Paul's more restrained performance. The bombast is there, and you can feel it about to burst (and it does), but he's adding texture and expanding his range. That range continues to expand in the deep disco of "Midnight on Earth," with a chorus that is somehow equal parts Bee Gees and Al Green. And right along with Paul's expanding range, the band is exploring different corners of the funk.

In addition to the funk, there is also a choir and string section on a few songs, as well as more overtly gospel influenced songs that give this an interesting dynamic range. It's all elements that have existed in soul and R&B from the beginning in varied measures, but the way this album flows feels very much alive and of the moment. Maybe it's the context of a song like "I'll Be Your Woman," at a time when gender conceptions are finally being challenged in our culture. It's a soul ballad which lyrically echoes Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend" but somehow takes it to another level by completely embracing fluid gender roles with lines about being rescued by his female lover and then flat out saying "let me lie in your strong arms" and "I'll be your woman." And there's "All I Ever Wonder" which is all about questioning the state of the world. It's not so much political as it is just socially aware and heartfelt.

If I had to choose one song to represent the range this album goes through, it would have to be "Sanctify." Some of the funkiest organ I've ever heard somehow leads to the one of the lushest most inspiringly orchestrated crescendos I've heard in a long time. What happens in between is religious, sexual and chill inducing. I am really looking forward to seeing them play this live.

Every time I listen to St. Paul and The Broken Bones, I get a little lost in it. And while this album brings some of the real world into that with lyrics like "That’s my daddy with a gun shooting someone else’s son. Is it over yet? A bullet with intent for the color of his savior and he can’t forget. What do we do when the fight goes out? I just want to know can we find love in a black hole?" from "Brain Matter," it's still comforting to be in a musical space that reassures the way soul always has. They are not retro or a throwback - they are timeless. They put the music first and their knowledge of the history of the form is as evident as their talent. My excitement for this band has not decreased one bit since first listening to them a couple of years ago and I'm looking forward to continue to be excited with every phase of what they do. 

Best Albums of 2016 - 14 through 11

It begins. . .

14. Coconut Oil by Lizzo:  I put on Lizzo's EP Coconut Oil on the drive home one day after a long day at work and immediately felt great. "Worship" is basically Prince level funk, which makes sense since she is based in Minneapolis. It's no surprise I would love it. But then something strange happened. You see, the next song, "Phone," is something I shouldn't like. It's not my typical type of thing at all. But something about the way she says "How I'm 'posed to get home?" or I don't know what, just charmed the fuck out of me. So much joy and fun in this short collection of songs. "Scuse Me" is body positive sexy, doesn't lose the fun and doesn't get vulgar while remaining naughty. These are all club cuts, with heavy bass. I can't stress enough how out of my wheelhouse this is, and yet there's something Lizzo brings to them that pulls me in. I can't put my finger on it, but the word I keep thinking of is joy and it's sorely needed.

13. Durand Jones & The Implications self titled: It's old school soul and R&B that sounds like it was recorded in the early 60s, so of course it's going to be on my list. Any other year, this would be way higher (although, honestly, I wouldn't put too much stock in my rankings). It's a smoking band and the songs are funky, soulful and smooth. I don't know if this was recorded live or not, but it sure feels like it was. Hell, it feels like it wasn't recorded at all, but is rather played live, on demand, every time you hit play. It was recorded in Ohio, where the group is from, but it could have been Mussel Shoals. Just listen to "Groovy Baby," which is like James Brown and Curtis Mayfield, complete with their bands are dancing on your face, and you're loving it.

12. Let Them Eat Chaos by Kate Tempest: I'm going to say this again later, but I'm not normally one to listen to hip hop. Kate's work is something else to me, though. I mean it is hip hop, but it's not at all what you think of as hip hop, most likely. She's a poet and a story teller in a more traditionally European sense: telling tales of common people and their day to day struggles (that's actually pure hip hop, isn't?). This is at once hip hop and Shakespearean and it blends in ways that are futuristic and urban with a very distinct voice that's kind of classical. So, in essence, Kate is likely the most hip hop artist around. She has internalized the best ideas of the genre - the wordsmith, (hu)man on the street, telling it like it is, the passion - and made them her own in the most unique way possible. On this album, which is an extended poem she tells the story of a few residents of a particular street in London, while speaking to how all our current world issues affect them. This is important and challenging without being preachy or impenetrable. I'm not sure you can easily draw a line from her to any of her influences, but they are there. She just isn't regurgitating them. Even the beats are unique - unexpectedly atmospheric and haunting. This is how the genre grows.

11. The Altar by Banks: Electronic music can be a lot of things. Some would say it's easy for it to be cold and calculated. I would add that, recently, what I've heard, mostly ends up being too quirky, but I could be wrong. Maybe there are other artists like Banks. But I doubt they are as raw as she is. All her songs, even now, far removed from her homemade recordings, sound like they were recorded in her bedroom. Not because they are lo-fi, or amateurish (they never were), but because they are so full of pulsing personal angst and sweaty sexuality. "Fuck With Myself," by the way, is the second song about masturbation mentioned on this list (see Lizzo) and both are appropriately sexy and empowering in their own way. Though I think Banks brings in a level of angst that leads to alternate interpretations of her lyric, "I fuck with myself more than anybody else." Interestingly, both Lizzo and Banks are artists who, on paper, I shouldn't like. But both elevate what they do beyond any stereotype of their genres by making it raw. And that totally is my thing.

Perfect Songs - To Love Somebody

You learn something new every day. Maybe. I don't know, but I sure as shit learned something today that I'm surprised I didn't know, even though I kind of knew instinctively. See, I've always loved this song and this morning I was listening to it and decided it would be my next Perfect Song installment. Maybe even as a Perfect Cover Song, because in my head I somehow remembered an Otis Redding version. But low and behold, I couldn't find that version, because it turns out it exists only in some parallel universe. But, and this is the part I learned today, the song was actually written for Otis to record and he would have if he hadn't died before doing so. The song is, of course, "To Love Somebody" by The Bee Gees.

If you listen to the original, and know anything at all about Southern Soul in general and Otis specifically, then it's easy to see how much sense it would have made for him to sing it. This song drips with that heartfelt, on your knees, naked emotional proclamation and pleading that I love about Otis and all the other Southern Soul greats of the 60s. It's obvious to me that Barry and Robin Gibb were not only fans of Otis, but that they studied him and the genre enough to produce a song that is authentically of the genre. Their version only comes off a little more glossy than I would imagine Otis would have done it, but even without the grit, the feeling is there.

And of course, the song's been covered a whole hell of a lot. There are few which, while not exactly what I imagine Otis would have done, do bring some of the elements of what might have come from him. The first one is one of the first covers of the song ever done, by James Carr. This version has the soul, for sure. You can't argue with James Carr, but nobody's Otis. It's a different thing altogether, leaning a little more to Gospel than Otis did, but there is some extra grit on his take that gets us closer, I think. And on it's own merits, it still is a good cover.

Then there's a version that somehow brings even more heartache by going smoother than the original. Nina Simone's smokey velvet tone is pretty far from the raw outpouring I falsely remember hearing from Otis on this song in my head, but it's Nina fucking Simone, god damn it and this version is something else entirely. Her voice was always capable of bringing a certain level of pain to this type of song that I'm not sure can be compared to anyone else. Her performance is understated, but the heaviness of it all is undeniable. The word unique is thrown around a lot, but Nina truly embodies a unique performer and her take on this song, while not drastically different than other versions, becomes hers simply because it's her. It truly stands on it's own.

Finally, there's Janis Joplin doing the closest thing I can imagine to what Otis might have done. It's big and unbridled and sweaty. And kind of messy. Like love. Like Soul. The thing is, it's a perfect fucking song, bottom line. But lest we think that it's impossible to fuck up a perfect song, I leave you with this. Listen at your own peril.

Best Albums of 2015: Number Two

I'd heard a few songs on this album since it dropped in August. I had put it in one of my Spotify folders out of curiosity and songs would pop up once in a while. I liked them fine. Then, some time in early November I decided to play the whole thing from start finish and I was instantly in love. How  could I not be? Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' self titled debut is Southern Soul with a country flair and fucking perfect.

From the joyously bouncing opener "I Need Never Get Old" with it's Sam and Dave inspired beat, it's clear this band takes soul seriously. Rateliff is a pretty well established indie folk singer but here he's a full on soul shouter like few others. His voice is deep, loud and commanding but there's a certain worn-in quality to it that really brings this to a special level. And the band is totally jumping. But what truly puts this over the top for me is the production quality. Producer Richard Swift captured a vibe and atmosphere here that sounds to me like it was all recorded live in the studio. I'm sure that's not the actual case, but it doesn't matter so long as the end result puts me in a room with the band, and it absolutely does. I feel like I'm in some old school, wood panelled studio with a bunch of sweaty musicians and vintage gear, maybe at Mussle Shoals, throughout this album.

It's not all just the expected Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, well worn tropes that are covered here, either. Every song also has a certain mid 70s country soul edge that comes through most on the ballad "Wasting Time" and sets this apart from other soul revival bands this year. But the stand out track, and my song of the year, is "S.O.B." a supremely infectious song that walks a fine line between being a deeply disturbing tale of alcoholic descent and party anthem with a total "fuck it" mentality which Rateliff actually just wrote as a joke. Opening with a gospel harmony complete with humming, clapping and stomping, Rateliff sings about how he will need someone to help him and how he will writhe and shake his body, pull his hair out and cover himself in ashes before suddenly breaking off that painful confession by demanding a drink as the band jumps in with the most joyous R&B gospel jam ever. If you don't join in, you might be dead. It's the most fun song you've likely heard in a long time.

There isn't a bad song on this album and the way it completely transports me when I listen to it is magical. If you've been paying attention, you know I love soul, especially Southern soul. But far from being a no brainer that an artist playing classic soul and R&B would be something I'd love, there's a certain feel that has to be there - a certain authenticity that has to come across as genuine love for what this is about. It's not easy to put your finger on it, but it's here. Rateliff and company clearly love this music and know it well and it shows. Now, get me a drink!

Best Albums of 2015: Number Six

So, for number 6 you could call it cheating, but that's on you. It's not a full album and on top of that it's basically just a deluxe version of a 2014 release, but it's my fucking blog, so tough. I'm talking about a collection of songs that ooze with reality and raw passion in a way that you wouldn't expect from someone that has a long history with the music business, but I guess it all depends on what happened during those years of experience. Fantasitc Negrito's Deluxe EP is a stomping, gospel infused, bluesy journey through struggle and redemption that accomplishes the dubious feat of updating roots music without losing a damn thing in the process.

Fantastic Negrito's story is pretty amazing even without actually hearing the music. This is a guy who taught himself to play multiple instruments and that should have made it big back in the 90s (Prince big), except just when he was about to, he was sidelined by a music business that wanted to pigeonhole every artist just as the whole industry was about to collapse under the weight of its own labels. Fast forward a few hard, hustling years, after he nearly dies in a car accident which puts him in a coma and mangles his playing hand - years of not creating music at all. Until it just bursts inside him and this time, it's going to come with the confidence of a man who has really lived.

So you have a guy who has the advantage of having come close enough that he really honed his craftsmanship, but unlike some artists who reach that level of professionalism and then struggle to keep it real, he is hungry and unrelenting. And unlike many struggling artists, he has moved well beyond the not giving a fuck stage of life and is supremely self assured to the point that exposing his vulnerability becomes an act of empowerment. All this comes through in every single note he releases from the inner depths of his Soul (capitalization intended).

As soon as "Lost in a Crowd" starts, I am stomping along with this impassioned confession/lamentation/sermon/rant that he spits out in a seemingly stream of consciousness barrage before breaking into a sweet, classic soul melody for a second that really knocks you out in how perfectly timed it is. "An Honest Man" opens with the humor of "I'm in love again, No this time it's time it's not with my hand," and then delves into some pretty dark shit about "wandering, murdering" and not paying the Chinese girl (seriously, you should always pay the Chinese girl). And the whole album just keeps doing that over and over again, shaking and lifting you up while pounding you with this man's truths and passions and desires. I can't wait to hear this his full album some time next year. In the meantime, I'm gonna be playing the fuck out of this EP and I hope you do to. This guy deserves the second life he's getting.

St. Paul and The Broken Bones with Seratones at The Culture Room

Back in January, I said I might have set the bar too high for best concert of the year because the first show I saw this year, St. Paul & The Broken Bones at The Beacham in Orlando, was on a level I never really understood before. And, although at least one other show this year came close (Ana Tijoux), I would have probably ended the year still saying that show back in January was the best of the year. Except that last night, that certainty was, at the very least, brought into question. Very serious question, by (wait for it) St. Paul & The Broken Bones who turned The Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale into some kind of sweaty soul church that I never wanted to leave.

Sertones brought it.

Opening for them last night was Sertones, who were also pretty damned good. This band from Louisiana play a certain flavor of Rock n Soul that brought to mind some of the psych and mod influenced bands of the 60s. Their groove is heavy with an almost punky feel but still firmly rooted in R&B and soul hooks. I had only heard two songs before the show, (the only 2 currently available on Spotify) but I was bobbing along to all of it. They really brought the party vibe with them and it stayed all night. As a matter of fact, singer AJ Haynes came out to join St. Paul on their "last" song, "Make it Rain." She is an electric performer in her own right. Watch this band, I will be.

Browan Lollar

From the opening notes of the instrumental intro, "Buy the Ticket" the crowd was informed that The Broken Bones meant business. And once Paul hit the stage, it was a done deal. Everyone was in his pocket instantly. This is not the sort of band you see in small venues for very long, even though that's probably where they really do best, so I can't emphasize enough how lucky I feel to have seen them twice in small venues. And last night, it was front row, baby!

Throughout the show, I sort of dangled in a strange place of overwhelming joy where I had a perma-smile and was on the verge of tears. At one point, when they played "Broken Bones and Pocket Change," which was a performance that I don't even have a word for because it I'm not sure you can emphasize the word SOUL enough, I may have even gotten a little lightheaded. It would be easy to put the glory for this all on Paul, and the man is a born performer and really did own everyone in that tiny club, but don't ever, ever, EVER discount what the Bones are doing. That band, as a unit, as individuals, as conduits for everything they play, is impeccable.

St. Paul Janeway preaching.

They played a lot of new songs last night that hint at a funkier direction on the album they mentioned they were going into the studio to start recording. They played a fucking mind melting cover of The Beatles' "I Want You." I cannot wait to hear the new album and although I immediately and desperately wanted to see them live again when it was over, I get the feeling they will be too big to play the venues I like. On the other hand, they've been playing large venues and still found pockets to play small as well, so maybe there's hope. I hope. But I also don't want to take their deserved success away in any way. 

I don't want to spend too much time talking about it, really. So let's just leave it here. That show back in January was my first time ever going to a show by myself and it's an experience I enjoyed and will do it again. But when I left that show, I really felt evangelized and like I needed loved ones to see what I had seen. Hear what I had heard. Feel what I had felt. So when I found out they were coming to Ft. Lauderdale, I knew I was going, but made damn sure to drag some loved ones to church with me. Watching my wife and friends be blown away by this band was a feeling of not so much "I told you so" satisfaction, as it was a "yes, now you understand." And, really, no matter how much I write about it or show you videos, you won't understand until you're in the room, sweating and shaking with them.

2015 Week 41: Heavy Soul

So here's the guy I most want to see live right now. The Fantastic Negrito is Xavier Dphrepaulezz and from the little I've read about him he's had one hell of a life with ups and downs and ins and outs of the music business. All that is well and good, but this version of him, is, well, fantastic. He merges gospel, blues, soul, R&B and just basic roots of all kinds with a certain palpable tension that is very much of the moment. It's raw and undeniable and as good as it is in studio form, from the videos I see on YouTube, it must be incredible to behold this dude live. It needs to happen soon before he gets too big and ends up in a giant venue. Maybe he can come play at a corner Cuban cafeteria.

Anyway, go check out all his stuff. Meanwhile, here's this week's Spotify Playlist, a little heavy soul for you to do with as you will. It has a bit of an attitude. Use it wisely.





Some of My Favorite TV Theme Songs

They can hum outside the house as well.

This week I posted my first advance album review over at FDRMX for Humming House's upcoming album. Exciting stuff for me and I did feel a little pressure when writing it. It helps that I genuinely like the band and the album is great. I wouldn't fake a review, so I'm not sure I would do it if after getting asked by the publicist, it turned out I didn't like it. How do you put out a negative review at that point unless the material is downright offensive?  Anyway, go read that review and go check out some Humming House, especially if they are playing near you.

This was the alter I grew up in front of.

Anyway, TV themes, because fuck segues. I don't know what I would say makes a good or bad one. I guess it somehow has to reflect what the show is, but that may not be all that necessary. I think at the end of the day, it reflects the show if you are into the show. If not, it's just a song and there may not be any association in your mind. But these are some of my favorites.



I'm writing this on the fly without any planning and this was just the first one that came to mind, but I bet it's only the first one to feature a badass bass line. A good friend once told me that the reason so many of us in our generation loved soul music was because we grew up in the 70s when all the music in the best movies and TV was basically soul and jazz. This is a prime example of that. I'm sure this has been sampled at some point, if not, I've lost a bit of respect for the RZAs of the world. And it does capture the spirit of the show somewhat. That beaten down feel but somehow finding humor in it. I was too young to watch this show but back then, nobody cared what we watched.



I used to love this show when I was 5. I have no memory of the show, at all, though. But the theme song? It plays in my head anytime I have to do something badass and dangerous like waking up Shayera in the morning or giving Zoey that last spoonful of yogurt before she starts screaming her had off for more (seriously, this kid has developed an insane appetite.) Funny how I'm staying in the 70s so far.



Who am I kidding, this is the theme that plays in my head whenever I have to get the girls to do anything. I once programmed this theme into my Commodore 128 computer. Years later, I'd rediscover this and the rest of the awesome Mission Impossible soundtrack work of Lalo Shiffrin, thanks to Portishead sampling part of it in "Sour Times."



I never actually watched this show, but come on, it had to be on the list, right? Surfs up. And I think that's it for the 70s.



The 80s' futuristic version of soul, really. That bass line is just awesome. And there's some Kraftwerk sounding stuff in there too. Honestly, there are tons of others from the 80s that are memorable, but I wouldn't say go beyond just being cheesy. I know some of you might be thinking Miami Vice, but I think this is a better theme and if you don't like it, too bad. So on from the 80s.



Chills. Still get them from this one. The drama of that opening is so perfect for the show. The way he yells that last line is so Goliath. Such an awesome theme and show.



I need to watch this show again. But more than that, it's here for a reason which will become apparent further down the list. Exotic sounds. Keep that in mind.



Fuck it, why make you wait. One leads to the other pretty well, though this is obviously much more dramatic and exotic. This has hints of being ancient and forlorn. It's just a perfect fit and not what you'd expect from a space opera.



This might be my favorite theme of all time at this point. Yeah, there are theme songs out there that tell you exactly what's going on in the lyrics, but this somehow captures every bit of intrigue, plotting, betrayal, fear, death, heartbreak and dread in this piece. I hear echoes of Xena and BSG in here, too. Anyway, one more.



This takes us right back up to the top of the list and it's really what inspired the post in the first place. Bass, bongos, horns. Jazz. Just awesome. Everything about this is perfect and it's the only anime I've ever really loved.

Obviously, there are tons of of other good themes, but look how long this post wound up being anyway, and I'm sure the one person reading won't get this far anyway. Let's just call these instrumental favorites So there you have it.

St. Paul and The Broken Bones and Humming House

Definition of Soul.

I went to see St. Paul and The Broken Bones in Orlando. Took the family up, but went to the show alone. Only my second time going to a concert alone, but it will not be the last. Look, let's not mess around, the full review will be at FDRMX, so go read that. This is more about showing than telling. This show will be in my list of maybe top 5 shows ever. It might be the best one, if I really think about it.

I was going to see southern soul from Alabama, but first we made a stop in Nashville. These guys were awesome. Had a chance to meet them later, and they were very cool.

They also covered Justin Timberlake later, but I didn't get that on video, which is disappointing because it was the best cover they did. At several points, I'm sure they were looking right at me and smiling because I was so fucking into their music, I must have stood out.

This last song they played made me think of Treme and how awesome the live music scenes in that show were. So much fun. I immediately wanted to see them again. And this was just the opener, who I'd never heard of before. By the time St. Paul and The Broken Bones came on, my phone was almost full.

I had chills the whole time they played. I don't think I've ever been more excited to see a band before. Not even The White Stripes or Black Keys. I think it's because I knew this was a smaller venue and that this was a much hungrier band than at the times I saw The Stripes or Keys. Plus the connection to classic soul artists that I was born too late to see had me ready to cry a couple of times. Just simply amazing. Quite possibly the best show I've ever seen.

I wish I could have captured some more, but like I said my phone was full and the battery was dying. It's all in my head though. And after all this was done, I joined Humming House and am now on tour with them.

My new best friends.

Denver Adventure 2014 Pt. 2 - Catfish Kray Blues Band at El Chapultepec

I recently started watching HBO's Treme and two seasons in, I'm amazed at the fact that I think I now have an even deeper love and respect for music and musicians. The show isn't just about music, but since it is about New Orleans, music is a HUGE part of it. What's interesting is I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of what I always thought of as "New Orleans" music, but watching the show, I'm not even sure what that means anymore. But regardless of genre, the soul of music is what comes through in the show. The realities of life coming into contact with the romanticized idea of musicians who love what they do with a passion is something I could watch forever. The scenes that take place in tiny clubs where struggling musicians get to set the place on fire and forget their troubles for an hour, by giving the same to a receptive audience, that energy, is something I think we all try to find in live music in one way or another.

I found it in Denver, in a tiny place called El Chapultepec, a bar and taco joint, of all places. The band was The Catfish Kray Blues Band, doing blues and R&B covers to a sweaty, dancing, drunken crowd, while just a few feet away, through the open back exit, cars just kept stopping at the traffic light, unaware of what they were missing.

It almost seems like a no-brainer, but it turns out the best vessel for delivery of blues and soul is a woman who's 8 months pregnant. Granted, I'm sure Larea Edwards, the vocalist, can deliver with or without the baby bump, pregnant glow and angst, but I'm also sure these things help enhance her talents. Aside from that, she was great with the crowd and her smile lit up the room. Even when one ever annoying lady kept insisting on touching her belly. And the talent clearly runs in the family, since at one point, her two sisters joined the band.



I can only assume Catfish and the rest of the band have been around the musical block. Sure, there were a few missed notes, but so what? That's the nature of bar bands. Sloppy is a style and it works for them. You don't go see this type of thing for precision. It's all about the feeling and it was there,which you can really see in this full performance of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" my buddy Carlos edited from both our phones' videos.


I don't go see live music often enough and it's something that I hope to change. Not just major acts. I want to start seeing more small, local bands in tiny joints. I just hope I can find the kind of music I want to hear in the kind of places I want to go to, down here in South Florida. I have a feeling it's not as common as other places, but I may be wrong. I hope. We'll see.

The Soul

It's no secret that I love old school soul and R&B. When I say old school I'm talking pre-80s and usually, the further back the better. Also, the further south, the better. The main thing I respond to is the production. It has to breathe and have atmosphere and be funky. It has to have some dirt on it. Lush only works in soul in small doses. Once it gets to the 80s overproduction was the rule of the day and it's not the same. It's more pop and disco than anything else. Sure, some of the old stuff's dirt is just happenstance because of the limitations of the equipment, but that's part of it. Just this morning I watched a documentary on Southern soul and rock called Muscle Shoals, about that town in Alabama where many of the greatest southern soul records were cut, from Percy Sledge and Aretha Franklin to Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, The Allman Brothers, and even the Rolling Stones. I highly recommend watching this if you have any love of music. I'm not a spiritual person, but the closest I come to it is my belief that music connects our brains to something in our shared genetic memories that goes back to our earliest ancestors beating on bones in caves by a fire. Some of that is evident in the stories of the early days of Fame Studios where white and black musicians made some of the best music ever recorded together at the height of the civil rights era, while the rest of Alabama was a boiling pot of hate and oppression and fear and finally having enough. But of course, I don't just go for Southern soul. The north did give us great shit too.

My love for soul is such that, as a long time comic book fan, my biggest geek out moment in a comic book movie ever was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when Falcon mentions Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man. I got immediate chills and nearly screamed out "YES!!" I got that album a couple of years ago, mainly because it looked cool, though I had heard one or two tracks before. I've never seen the movie it's a soundtrack to, but that doesn't matter. The album is a smooth, funky, jazzy, bongo, horns and bass affair that makes me think of something an old friend told me not too long ago. He's also into old school soul and I mentioned it was interesting that we both came to that over the years, separately, considering back when were young kids, we both loved metal. He said it's probably because we grew up watching movies from the 70s that all had soul soundtracks and it just sort of infused itself in our brains. It kind of makes sense and this soundtrack is a good example of that sound. It's just pure fucking cool, really. It's the soundtrack to coolness, and that's all there is to it.

By the way, I was just blasting this last one from my car, as I unloaded some stuff into my garage because coolest motherfucker on the block, that's why.