Sunday, March 04, 2012

Sunday Soul - Come On and Get It


come and get some i need some


i got something good for you baby
sweet lips to kiss you with
two arms to hold you
come on and get it now
don't hesitate
you don't have to negotiate
i know you'll appreciate
the things i got for you baby
come on and get it honey


Joe Simon - Come On and Get It : Come On and Get It 7"

Joe Simon - No Sad Songs : Come On and Get It 7" B-side

Find them both on the compilation Monument of Soul.

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Black Radio



I can still remember the pleasure I had in first listening to Robert Glasper's concept album Double-Booked back in '09. Since then I've kept my eyes and ears open for more of his work, as well as delving into his back catalog. My appreciation of the man and his music has not waned since. His artistry is ever widening, and it's clear that the rigid boundaries which have previously defined genres have no hold on him.

His latest album Black Radio, which dropped this last week, takes the exploration he's always espoused and multiplies it ten fold. Honestly, while I first introduced him on the pages of this blog under the label of jazz, Glasper has left that feeble container in the dust. His latest work, while having a toe or two still touching ground in the jazz realm, goes so much farther, expanding into hip hop (something he's clearly shown an affinity for before in the 2nd half of Double-Booked as well as his work with Pete Rock and appreciation of the late great J Dilla, which I talked about back here, but unfortunately is no longer available), neo-soul, contemporary R&B, and even a dash of rock here and there.

Besides the keyboards of Glasper and his accompanying band (the additional elements that compose the Robert Glasper Experiment), there is a veritable treasure trove of guest musicians providing their unique tastes, including Sa-Ra's Shafiq Husayn, Erykah Badu, Lalah Hathaway, Lupe Fiasco, Bilal, King, Musiq (Soulchild), Chrisette Michele, Me'Shell Ndégeocello, Mos Def (now going by Yasiin Bay), and Ledisi. There is such a wide range of sounds represented on the album (although skillfully rooted together through the presence of Glasper and his band) that it almost feels like a compilation as opposed to a singular entity of its own, and it pushes boundaries of what "black radio" is in multiple directions. If this doesn't get Glasper noticed and on the map of contemporary popular music, then we are in a shit ton of trouble. To put his stamp on his disdain for borders, Glasper closes the album with a truly original take on Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

For "Jazz" to remain a viable art form that grows and doesn't altogether disappear into musical history books, it needs more Glaspers in its pocket. Order your copy of Black Radio HERE.


Visit Robert Glasper's website, his label Blue Note Records, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Love Is Making Its Way Back Home



I've long been a fan of Josh Ritter, so when word started circulating about a new EP (titled Bringing In the Darkness and available here in download, CD, and vinyl versions), I was eager to experience it. The first peek of it was the above video for its second track, Love Is Making Its Way Back Home, and a lovely video it is. Created with 12,000 pieces of construction paper using stop motion animation, you can tell that a whole heaping full of love was put into its creation. I was so entranced with the artistry that I had to watch/listen to it a few times before I could shift my attention to enjoying the song as well.

The EP's six songs are soft and melodious, with finely crafted lyrics; exactly what Josh's strengths were from the beginning. It's light acoustic honey that shies away from the larger, complex sounds of some of the material on his last few albums.


Visit his website and become his friend on Facebook.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sunday Soul - Love Ain't Nothin' To Play With

Love is a four letter concept


love will you make you happy
love will make you cry
love will make you want to lay down and die

love ain't nothin' to play with



Jerry McCain - Love Ain't Nothin' To Play With : Love Ain't Nothin' To Play With 7"

Jerry McCain - She's Crazy 'Bout Entertainers : Love Ain't Nothin' To Play With 7" B-side

Find the 7" here.

Sunday, February 05, 2012

Sunday Soul - Make Love to Me Baby

tumble of love

leave it to your heart
don't let your mind control your will
let your heart be your guide baby
and throw away your foolish pride

oh come on girl
oh come on girl
come on and make love to me honey




Friday, February 03, 2012

Do You Remember



Do you remember the scars I showed you
the stories I told you
how I always said forever
when you asked me to stay true



Visit her website, her label PIAS, and become her friend on Facebook.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday Soul - What A Party

from the Numero release Light: On the Southside

 the girl was dressed with no shoes on
the big tenor man really blew his horn

what a party, Lordy, Lordy
big fat piano man, he sho' could wail away
what a party, Lordy, Lordy
big fat piano man, he sho' could play

somebody called a cop about half past four
he knew he just couldn't get through that door

what a party, Lordy, Lordy
big fat piano man, he sho' could wail away
what a party, Lordy, Lordy
big fat piano man, he sho' could play


Fats Domino - What A Party : What A Party 7"

Fats Domino - Rockin' Bicycle : What A Party 7"

Friday, January 13, 2012

Vinyl

So this week was a big one for vinyl in my house. And not because this guy from LMFAO's video showed up in his studded vinyl underwear:


No, instead the new needle (aka stylus for those record snobs out there) that I ordered for my turntable showed up. I've been turntableless for far too long due to a well past worn out needle that just needed to be replaced. Here it is pimpin' out my record player:


And speaking of turntables, I got a new one tonight!!!! Wicked exciting to say the least. Here she is:


She is the latest in 1920's technology! Yes, she's one of those new-fangled Columbia Graphophones! I can't wait to spin some "race" music on it perhaps!

Anyway, here's a little more current 45 (from the late 50's, almost futuristic in comparison...ha!) that I picked up up in Quebec while celebrating New Years:

Jackie Wilson - We Have Love : We Have Love 7"

Jackie Wilson - Singing A Song : We Have Love 7" B-side

Find them both on Lonely Teardrops.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Doin' It Again



So the one or two of you still reading might have noticed that after nearly four months absence, MISB has resurfaced, at least temporarily, for a gasp of air. It is by far the longest I've gone without sharing a song or two since it began almost six years ago (yikes, that's something like the equivalent of the Triassic period in blog years I think). Asking a magic 8 ball about its survival would reveal an answer such as "reply hazy, try again," which is to say I'm not so certain of it myself. In the meantime though, it's got a new look and a new short-term lease on life.

I settled upon a few New Year's resolutions for 2012, and when sharing them with others I prefaced them with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."

I suppose I still have a few songs left in me to share. Happy New Years.

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Sunday Soul - You Came Into My Life

Definitely Unexpected
 
your smile, your touch
you mean so much to me
you are reality
let me tell you baby
you came into my life
you are
everything dear to me
with you i feel so free
you came into my life
fill me with so much joy
once i was lonely and blue
now there's just me and you my dear



Roy Ayers - You Came Into My Life : You Came Into My Life 7"

Roy Ayers - Freaky Deaky : You Came Into My Life 7" B-side

Find them both on Let's Do It.