R&B, Blues, Soul & Stax
VOICES Notes and news on R&B, Blues, Soul & Stax releases
Truly Classique
26 JUN 09 DAVID NATHAN
With the release of Will Downing's groundbreaking A Dream Fulfilled and his pairing with Gerald Albright on Pleasures Of The Night, the vocalist's audience has included jazz and R&B lovers. His latest set, Classique, reflects the Brooklyn native's roots in soul music.
The album offers a string of superb covers -- Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You A Little More Baby," David Ruffin's "Statue Of A Fool" and The Originals' "Baby I'm For Real" (penned by Marvin Gaye). The latter is a scorching standout thanks to fellow soul stylist Phil Perry. Those tracks blend seamlessly with original material like the lead-off single "Something Special" and the sexy "Let's Make It Now," co-written with renowned singer-songwriter Gary Taylor. They show Downing's warm and sensual vocal style at its best.
Surprisingly, after a debilitating encounter with a disorder known as polymyositis that began in 2007, Downing actually sounds stronger than ever. While his last Peak release After Tonight showed no hint of any loss of vocal power, Classique displays a renewed confidence, Downing's tones richer and fuller than ever.
He's nicknamed "The Prince Of Sophisticated Soul," but Downing's latest set could result in a slight adjustment of the term. With smouldering cuts like "Ride" and "Love Suggestions," he's in line for a new handle, "The Prince Of Sexy Soul," as Downing emerges as the standard-bearer of a tradition of sensual soul men that includes Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, Barry White and Leon Ware.
He's on tour now. Check here for dates near you.
-
I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby
Will Downing, from Classique
-
Fantasy (Spending Time With You)
Will Downing, from After Tonight
-
Cheaper To Keep Her
Gerald Albright, from Sax for Stax
-
Perfect Island Night
Phil Perry, from Magic
-
Hold Tonight
Leon Ware, from Moon Ride
in this playlist.
One Of A Kind
12 JUN 09 DAVID NATHAN
There is no one quite like Teena Marie. In fact, no other "blue-eyed soul" artist in contemporary music has ever created such a solid legacy with a primarily African-American audience as a base. From the arrival of her first album in 1979 all the way to her latest Congo Square, the SoCal native has kept the faith with R&B and funk fans by providing consistently excellent music from ultra-soulful slow jams to enduring groove classics.
Her brand new Stax debut, is no exception. "Lady Tee" (as she is fondly known among her loyal followers) delivers music that is old school in approach and yet contemporary in flavor. The high octane "Can't Last A Day" features neo-soul star Faith Evans while the gorgeous ballad "Lover's Lane" is a duet with renowned gospel man Howard Hewett.
Marie's poetic lyricism is as strong as ever on tracks like the jazzy standouts "Harlem Blues" and the evocative "The Rose N' Thorn." Teena is joined by her daughter Rose LeBeau on "Milk N' Honey" and other special guests include Pastor Shirley Murdock ("Soldier") and M.C. Lyte (on the groove-alicious "The Pressure").
Great special guests notwithstanding, Marie delivers one of her most potent offerings ever and it's fitting that -- like current labelmate Leon Ware -- Teena began recording with one legendary company (Motown) and finds herself in the third decade of an amazing career at Stax, a fitting home for one of the most soulful artists in the world of music.
-
Can't Last a Day
Teena Marie, from Congo Square
-
A Whisper Away
Leon Ware, from Moon Ride
in this playlist.
A Message For All Time
19 MAY 09 DAVID NATHAN
Credited with introducing the word "soul" into mainstream popular musical vernacular, Ray Charles made one of the funkiest albums of his career in 1972, a year in which black music was enjoying a marked increase in exposure and acceptance on an international level. A Message From The People found him in a serious groove.
He transformed everything from folk/pop singer-songwriter Melanie's "Look What They Done To My Song, Ma" and the black national anthem "Lift Every Voice And Sing" into seriously funky workouts. The album mixed genres in a way only Charles could, dipping from the R&B world of vocal group The Whispers via "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong" to the country/pop arena of John Denver with "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
Charles' genius was never more evident than on his masterful treatment of Stevie Wonder's plea for peace ("Heaven Help Us All"), his deeply moving version of "Abraham, Martin & John" and his stirring rendition of "America The Beautiful," which became a staple in his repertoire both in concert and on TV. It didn't hurt that he called on musical friends like Quincy Jones for the arrangements on the album which turned out to be a milestone in a catalog filled with brilliance. It's a real treasure and its reissue is a reminder that Ray when it came to soul music, he could throw down like the best of them.
-
Abraham, Martin And John
Ray Charles, from A Message From The ...
-
Lift Every Voice And Sing
Various Artists, from Wattstax: The ...
-
Jive Den
Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby, from The ...
-
America the Beautiful
Ray Brown Trio, from Walk On
in this playlist.
An R&B Staple
04 MAY 09 DAVID NATHAN
These days, it might be hard to imagine any major record company hanging tough through four albums for a sales breakthrough but Stax and label president Al Bell believed The Staple Singers could take their gospel-based sound and make it palatable to both pop and R&B audiences. They were proved right with Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, the 1972 set that boasted not one, but two massive hit singles for the quartet.
When the Staples signed with Stax Records in 1968, they had already achieved recognition as "The First Family Of Gospel," but missing was any kind of mainstream recognition. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, daughters Cleotha and Mavis and son Pervis looked to the Memphis label to take them to a new plateau of success and while their first two albums for the company (Soul Folk In Action and We'll Get Over) did introduce them to an R&B audience, it was the third set The Staple Swingers that achieved greater traction.
"Respect Yourself" was a major pop and R&B single towards the end of 1971, while the now-classic anthem "I'll Take You There," written by Bell, became a No. 1 best-selling 45 for the group in '72 just as their fourth Stax album was released.
Aside from the hits -- a third single, "This World" achieved Top 10 R&B status -- there were superb cuts like "We The People," the funky "This Old Town" (co-written by soul men Don Covay and Wilson Pickett) and Pops' own gospel opus "Who Do You Think You Are (Jesus Christ Superstar)" that made Be Altitude the crown jewel in The Staple Singers' treasure trove of great music.
-
Respect Yourself
The Staple Singers, from Be Altitude: ...
-
Baby, What You Want Me To Do?
Albert King, Steve Cropper & Pop Staples ...
-
Son Of A Preacher Man
Mavis Staples, from Only For The Lonely
-
The Ghetto
The Staple Singers, from Soul Folk In ...
-
A Wednesday In Your Garden
The Staple Singers, from We'll Get Over
-
This Is A Perfect World
The Staple Singers, from The Staple ...
in this playlist.
BROWSE ARCHIVE OF R&B, BLUES, SOUL & STAX VOICES
R&B, BLUES, SOUL & STAX RECENT RELEASES
R&B, BLUES, SOUL & STAX ESSENTIALS
BROWSE R&B, BLUES, SOUL & STAX ARTISTS
Show Artists by Genre: R&B, Blues, Soul & Stax