India.Arie
This column is like the title says - its intention is to fill the gap for those of us who were satiated musically in the '60s and then searched desperately as we aged for music we could relate to and get the same buzz from nowadaze. iTunes was the answer for me in 2003 and I have been following the new releases every Tuesday ever since I realized there was an endless stream of music I could enjoy there.
I also include older items that I felt were obscure originally and might not have been heard back then. The reason I am writing this column is to make sure others don't miss this wonderful music. These are not top ten items; but they SHOULD'VE been!
Below is a jukebox containing all the songs I picked this week. After you read about them below, go back and listen to whatever you like by just clicking on that title in the jukebox, or stream the whole playlist by clicking on the "play" icon at the top. It's free and it's the entire song. We're not selling anything. We're just in the business of hopefully making your days better by listening to great music.
We apologize to our readers/listeners who are trying to enjoy the playlists via mobile devices like iPhones/iPads and are finding that they can't; these are, unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control. At present, Grooveshark is not compatible with those operating systems, and in order to stream the playlist, you will need to use a PC or Mac.
1. "Heaven" — Emeli Sandé (3:53)
When you put a great record together it’s nice to have a great singer, drummer and arranger as illustrated here aurally. I have no credits listed but this is Emeli’s second appearance here and she is becoming a new favorite of mine.
2. "Hoogie Boogie" — John Lee Hooker (2:27)
It’s always a treat to find a ‘new’ JLH track I haven’t yet heard. Here he is able to rock hard solo, comfortable as can be, in the groove he effortlessly invented. Amazing touch on the guitar — often imitated but NEVER equaled so far in my lifetime. Fortunately we got to play together more than once or twice in his lifetime.
3. "I Can't Stand the Rain" — Al Kooper (4:31)
Back in the old days, under the influence of pot, I loved listening to certain 45 rpm soul records at 33⅓. I loved cymbal crashes at slower speeds and Ann Peebles' single at 33 was the greatest tempo I ever heard for that song. I whipped it together, playing all the parts except for slide, which was played by Skynyrd’s Ed King. This is on the Rare & Well Done album which many never heard, and the tempo selection is comparatively obtuse to all other versions.
4. "English Garden" — Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club (2:52)
This is roughly from the era when MTV started. Also on their album was their version of "Video Killed the Radio Star," which was eclipsed by The Buggles' hit version. That was a shame, because this track was even better and, at least in the USA, died an anonymous death. Still sounds great to me today!
5. "Flowers" — India.Arie (2:59)
Look who’s got a new album out! This is packed with good material and production and what better song to play after "English Garden"?
6. "Washed by the Water" — NEEDTOBREATHE (2:26)
This is from their 2009 album The Heat. It’s got a strong Band influence but most of us like that. They come from South Carolina and the Rinehart brothers are sons of a pastor. This song won a Dove Award for contemporary song of the year in 2009.
Hay, guys — wassup?
7. "Pearl of the Quarter" — Boz Scaggs (3:18)
From Scaggs' latest album Memphis, this has a great feel with tasty rhythm guitar. What better way to follow "Washed by the Water" than "Pearl of the Quarter," anyhoo?
8. "Always Be That Way" — PJ Morton (2:34)
As Morton slowly grows into his modern Stevie Wonder incarnation, I am all on board. He can write, play and sing perfectly in the Stevie genre, and he continues to improve with each album. It's nice to listen to his progress.
9. "Together Til the End of Time" — Brenda Holloway (2:51)
This is the original version of the song covered by Stevie Winwood in The Spencer Davis Group and Mike Bloomfield and me on both our live albums. Brenda is key to me 'cause it’s also where I got “You Made Me So Very Happy” before DCT absconded with it (to #1). I’ve played her version of that in a previous column, so here’s this one.
10. "Jealousy" — Frankie Miller & The Rekooperators (5:37)
There used to be small club on Sunset called The Central. When I lived in LA, it was my main hang and I would play and rehearse there with my band, which consisted of Hutch Hutchinson on bass, Jerry Weber on synths, Richie Hayward on drums, Bryan Cumming on sax, and yours truly on guitar on this track. So Frankie Miller was in town and I invited him to sit in. We rehearsed his song in the afternoon without him and he just came up to sing like he sat in every night. The sound guy recorded it and here it is naked with pimples on it. Solos are by me and Bryan, but The Man could surely sing anytime he got ready. I’d say this was 1986.
