Some Soul Sides For the Captain’s Crate

Candi Staton: Too Hurt To Cry
From Stand By Your Man (Fame, 1971). Also on Candi Staton: The Fame Years.

Holly Golightly: My Love Is
From Slowly But Surely (Damaged Goods/Revolver, 2004)

Amy Winehouse: Love Is A Losing Game (Truth and Soul Remix)
From 12″ (Universal, 2007)

Greetings to Captain’s Crate readers…this is Oliver Wang (O-Dub) from Soul-SIdes.com crashing in to say “hi.” As the Bethel Bros. probably already informed you all, we’re trying out a little experiment in content sharing between our two blogs; most of what they post here will appear on my site and vice versa. This is my first posting to make its way over to the Crate. Hope you enjoy.

I talked about Candi Staton’s Fame output the other month and that got me back into listening more of her songs and came upon this great one from her Stand By Your Man album. Love the tinkle of piano that begins this and really, Rick Hall produces this beautiful, with such a rich, soulful quality that Staton plays against wonderfully.

With the Holly Golightly…I was trying to find the original version of “My Love Is,” done by Little Willie John, after watching Lonestar again for the upteenth time but alas, it’s a hard song to track down digitally speaking. But lo and behold, I found this cover by Golightly and despite my initial reservations, she’s actually rather perfect for the song. Her light, almost ethereal voice goes with the song’s dreamy, haunting qualities; this is what you’d want to hear playing on the cheap jukebox in some coffee and pie diner off a decaying highway.

Speaking of decaying – snap! – Amy Winehouse might be the biggest pop train wreck not named Britney of the last year or so but we’re still enamored with her musically. Plus, when the folks at Truth and Soul get the nod to remix “Love is a Losing Game” (one of our favorite songs off the last album), then we perk up and listen. And smile. Great remix, really strips this ballad down and remakes it with a minimalist but mesmerizing melody (I didn’t plan that alliteration, seriously). We likee.