Cue the Beat

BAND TO WATCH ALERT!

Currently Listening To:

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
From the Album - Want More

*Note: Oooooh baby! I just won tickets to see these guys perform next week! Get on this sound, ya’ dig?

P.S. Not really a Wilco fan (I know, I know, kill me now…), but this version of their classic makes me smiley happy.

STOP THE PRESSES ALERT!

“Take nothing less, not even second best. And do not obey, you must have your say. You can pass the test.”

Currently Listening To:

Curtis Mayfield (as covered by The Jam) - Move On Up
From the Album - Curtis

*Note: If only I could convey to you how absolutely wild this made me when I watched it this morning! I can’t believe it! I need to be pinched a million times! The Jam, one of my favorite bands, covering Move On Up, one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists, Curtis Mayfield! I was not ready for such a perfect triple threat! My jaw is on the ground and will stay on the ground, no matter how unsightly, because this version is smoking HOT! It’s got the hard bass edge that only The Jam can bring. It does not get any better than Classy Punk and Smooth-Ass Funk! You can quote me on that! And, would it kill us to have more politically conscious artists like The Jam and Curtis Mayfield in the world today? Relevance is sexy!

*Watch The Jam in all their glory: In The City, All Around the World, & Eton Rifles

OH HOLY SOUL ALERT!

“Bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin’, bring it on home to me.”

Currently Listening To:

Sam Cooke - Bring It on Home to Me
From the Album - Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963

*Note: I cannot imagine, and do not want to imagine, a world without Sam Cooke’s music. This song is hands down one of my all-time favorites. I highly recommend picking up this album on vinyl if you can find it. It’s a rare album that you can listen to from start to finish and feel as though you’ve experienced something profound. It’s a time capsule. It sounds so impeccable on a warm summer evening; sun setting, breeze blowing…yeah…all becomes right with the world.

“She’ll get a hold on you believe it!”

Currently Listening To:

Philip Bailey (feat. Phil Collins) - Easy Lover
From the Album - Chinese Wall

*Note: First of all, this song will always rock. Philip Bailey’s voice is phenomenal. I’m pretty sure I drove my sisters nuts listening to this on constant repeat when I was little. Second of all, I can’t understand for the life of me why nobody has jumped on remaking it! My picks would be Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake. That would be epic. Can you envision it? Just sayin’.

ARTIST TO WATCH ALERT!

Currently Listening To:

JD McPherson - North Side Gal
From the Album - Signs & Signifiers

*Note: Swoon… I’ve found a new artist that is completely blowing my mind. Just listen to JD’s voice! I am in awe. He brings Little Richard and Elvis to mind. Strong, smooth, liquid velvet. All it took was hearing the first few notes and I was hooked. I immediately hightailed it to iTunes and downloaded the album. Thanks swamiswampy for pointing him out to me!

“Cairo. Cairo is my baby’s home.”

Currently Listening To:

Henry Townsend - Cairo Blues
From the Album Cairo Blues

*Note: Have you ever heard a song that inexplicably resonated with you as if it were a tangible part of you? Well, that’s how I felt the first time I heard Cairo Blues. Although I’m partial to Henry Spaulding’s rendition, Henry Townsend’s version is equally intrinsic. I will never forget hearing the first few notes in that lecture hall; the surrounding air became heavy and fluid, drawing me in.

OH HELL YES ALERT!

Currently Listening To:

Herbie Hancock - Rockit
From the Album Future Shock

*Note: Quintessential break-dance classic! I used to drive my sisters nuts listening to this song over and over and over again. Herbie Hancock scored an unusual hit with this song, but he is actually a legendary and accomplished Jazz composer and musician. Do yourself a favor and check out his entire catalog, particularly Head Hunters.