Anthony Hamilton : Fallin In Love Again and Why
taken from the album “Southern Comfort” on Merovingian (2007)

Anthony Hamilton : The Truth
taken from the album “Ain’t Nobody Worryin'” on So So Def/Zomba/Arista (2005)

Anthony Hamilton : Comin’ From Where I’m From (DJ Still Life Remix)
the original can be found on the album “Comin’ From Where I’m From” on So So Def/Arista (2003)

Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone, talented and soulful as they may be, are definitely riding high on great white hype-ness. I’m not trying to criticize their music in the least, but the downpour of praise and attention seems to be apporaching Indonesian monsoon-type levels. It strikes me as being more than a little imbalanced when looking at other soul artists in the hustle, of a more traditionally dark complexion, who’ve been left nearly high and dry. Anthony Hamilton’s newest effort (which was actually recorded earlier and has been sitting unreleased), put out on the apparently indie Merovingian (no site yet???), is a perfect example of a contemporary soul baring gem that will likely get 1/3 the number of reviews and write-ups as “Back To Black”. Even after “Comin’ From Where I’m From” went platinum, pulled along by the ballad bomb “Charlene”, he’s still struggling to get props. While some of the production he works with is less than stunning, Hamilton rises far above the track with a voice that even brings Donny Hathaway’s greatness to mind.

The DJ Still Life remix was pulled from Ear Fuzz a while back, and does a nice job of fixing the shortcomings of the original song – namely a weak beat – by calling on the classic memphis stylings of Willie Mitchell. Maybe Hamilton needs a little help from the Dap Kings and Mr. Mark Ronson? Maybe he talks too much about the bible and not enough about rehab? Personally, I think the complete package here is more apt for repeat plays and rotation longevity. There’s a slight gimmick aspect to what I’ve heard from Winehouse and Stone, I’m not talking Matisyahu here, but just a hint of manufactured forcefulness that I don’t hear in Hamilton’s more relaxed and freeflowing croon. Maybe I’m biased though.

Big up to our other contemporary soulsters who haven’t yet gotten their due shine:
Raphael Saadiq, Leela James, Eric Roberson, Stephanie McKay, Ledisi… add on to the list, there are many more out there.

Bobbie Houston : Make It With You
originally performed by Bread

Johnny Clarke : None Shall Escape

Matumbi : Law Of The Land
originally performed by The Temptations

King Sporty : A Year Full Of Sundays

all selections taken from the compilation “20 Tighten Ups” on Trojan (1974)

Sadly, I don’t have enough time today to sit down and formulate some proper paragraphs about these sweet and soulful reggae songs I recently uncovered on this excellent Tighten Ups collection. I didn’t have time all weekend, and I probably won’t have time for the rest of the week. I suppose that’s the point though. “Wouldn’t you like to live a year full of Sundays?… Only Sundays.” Naps, slow sunny strolls, plenty of time to read and write, to draw and paint, to make music…

Of all the funky cover versions and stanky skank rhythms on this compilation, somehow the King Sporty song, which reminded me immediately of “Put It On” by a young Bob Marley, hit home the hardest. Even without singing, Sporty’s straightforward philosophizing gripped the dreamer in me, helping me rise temporarily above the stained snowbanks and brick walls around me.

Amy Winehouse: Rehab and Back To Black and He Can Only Hold Her
Taken from the album Back To Black on Interscope (2006)

Broadcasting live from South Africa… Here’s lil’ something something:

Not long ago, soul music fans were hit with a bit of an identity crisis. The kind of dizzying blow that had us perpetually confused about what to buy at the record store. The prickly line of questioning, as we scanned the racks of mediocre R&B, basically ran like this: What to do with the stultified dream of Neo-soul? Who do we turn to with Lauren Hill in absentia? What happens now that D’Angelo’s gone?

Slowly, over time, an answer presented itself: go old school.

The last few years have seen a semi-triumphant re-emergence of throw-back soul. Newer artists, replete with analog mics and calculated band names, trying their hand at a vintage sound, (Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Nicole Willis and The Soul Investigators); crate-digger favorites pulling collaborations with slick, beat-minded producers (Spanky Wilson linking up with Quantic); too-smooth studio sessions with the Greats (Al Green, Bettye Swann, Candi Staton) that couldn’t hold a candle to even the more modest work from their respective heydays.

Some, it seems, are trying too hard at an elusive sound. Some have lost their magic touch. Some never had it. Maybe the music doesn’t suit the vocals. The vocals don’t suit the lyrics. The lyrics themselves feel stale. Too hip-hop. Too clean. Too old. Too much effort.

Enter Amy Winehouse with her sophmore album, Back to Black.

That it took a twenty-four year old Jewish girl from north-London to finally make the record that satisfies the proclivity of the recently re-invigorated classic soul music buying public, shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. She’s certainly not the first to tread that road. Joss Stone had a certain appeal, albeit rather white-washed and somewhat lacking in originality. And Alice Russell, who never received a fraction of the praise or notoriety she deserved, did well to work her very contemporary version of classic R&B into a beat-ier, clubbier sound.

But what Winehouse has done is something quite different. She’s made a classically styled R&B record, with real production value, real lyrics, real soul, that doesn’t for a moment sound like something from grandpa’s stash. And even if she nods in all the right directions (there’s no question of the 60’s girl-group influence), the record, as a complete entity, is nothing if not unabashedly contemporary.

Huge props should go to the flawless joint production of Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, who despite, or perhaps because of, their traditionally hip-hop leanings, have crafted ten songs worth of terse, crisp, pitch perfect orchestration. Just enough strings, without going sappy sweet. Biting horns at all the right intersections. And drums fat enough to move a dancefloor, but that never pander to a generation of beat-greedy rap fans.

Always front and center, though, is Amy Winehouse.

And finally that is what makes this album such a joy to listen to: that the record carries with it the significant artistic identity of the woman herself. For better or worse, Winehouse is a presence. Her young woman’s sexuality, attitude, recklessness, and vocabulary are all on display here. And she doesn’t shy away from much.

The album’s lead off track–carried by easily the catchiest hook I’ve heard in a long while–details Ms. Winehouse’s dogged refusal to undergo rehab for her well-documented alcohol addiction. Her bravado pulses. Similarly, on the cut, “You Know I’m No Good”, she explains, rather unapologetically, her infidilities to a scorned lover. “I told you I was I trouble/ You know I’m no good.” The facts of Amy Winehouse are just that: facts.

The British media has made no bones about exposing Winehouse’s problematic image. From causing public disturbances, to fistfights, to puking onstage, Winehouse may seem hellbent on that type of Billy Holiday-esque self-destruction that makes the admiring fan of her music cringe. But the admiring fan of her music is as likely to appreciate those qualities as despise them. Because Winehouse delivers with the kind of matter-of-factness, with the coarse naivete, with the touching sincerity of a real soul singer.

Amy Winehouse may just be the next in a legacy of R&B artists stretching as far back as the genre itself, to fashion a sound from the painfully palpable transgressions of her private life. But she’s delivered a lot of us who had begun to lose hope in the music, and for that we’re grateful.

Akon : Mama Africa
taken from the album “Konvicted” on SRC/Universal Motown (2006)

Tiken Jah Fakoly ft. U-Roy : Justice
taken from the album “Francafrique” on Polygram (2002)

Alpha Blondy : Interplanetary Revolution
taken from the album “Cocody Rock” on Shanachie (1984)

Alpha Blondy : Jerusalem
taken from the album “Jerusalem” on Shanachie (1986)

Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Titibitis : 5 Days A Week Love
taken from the album “5 Days A Week Love” on Polydor (1977)

I know what you’re thinking: “Smack That“? “I Wanna Fuck You“? This is not the typical work we like to highlight here. “Rare, Funky and Soulful” is the general guideline, and those songs don’t exactly meet the criteria. Akon, like many artists in the mainstream, has definitely produced somewhat shameful material (even though I have a softspot for the track with Snoop). But let’s not place all the blame on him. It’s all too easy to hear solely the songs that corporate radio has decided will become “hits” while overlooking album and mixtape cuts where, arguably, more of the “real” artist actually shines through. Ok, forget “real” if you like, you can’t deny that this track (or the mini-African-history-lesson of “ATL to NYC to LA” with G-Unit) shows an entirely different side of the man.

When I first heard “Mama Africa” coming through my radio, not knowing immediately that it was Mr. Konvict, I was blown away. Beautiful, uplifting, contemporary roots-reggae is not as easy to come by as it should be. With Waah Gwan radio off the air (what the hell happened???), these past few weeks have been really tough. So here’s to Akon, for managing to slip a hearfelt one-drop anthem onto his multi-platinum seller. I mean, when was the last time you heard a top 40 artist shout out Senegal? I figure that for every hundred thousand duf-dufs that purchase his CD in order to put “Smack That” on repeat, at least a hundred will find this gem and actually prefer it. Perhaps I’m being optimistic.

These other classic African reggae songs were culled from my not-so-deep selection of similar tunes. There’s Lucky Dube, and Toure Kunda, and Daara J as well (another post may be warranted), but I don’t know of much else that fits the bill. If you’re hearing “Jerusalem” for the first time, then PLEASE force yourself to sit through one of the cheesiest intros of all time, I guarantee it will be worth the minute+ wait. Realize that you’re listening to the Wailers, post-Bob, recorded at TUFF GONG in Kingston, and that this highly unique vocalist from Cote D’Ivoire is singing in no less than 4 languages throughout the song. Blao.

ps- another interesting tidbit for those crazy raer beat heads out there. Through Soulstrut.com I found out that Akon is actually the son of the man responsible for this highly sought after and extremely rare slice of Afro Funk. Woah.

Manu Dibango, Le Grand Kalle & Don Gonzalo : African Boogaloo and Kimbombo Kimbombo
taken from the album “L’African Team” on African (1970)

Manu Dibango : Iron Wood
taken from the library album “African Voodoo” on PSI (1972)

Manu Dibango : Bush
taken from the soundtrack “Kusini” on DST Telecommunications (1975)

Not enough time today for a lengthy post, but I wanted to share some links before they go cold. I need to update my blogroll yet again, but in the meantime, check out the two blogs responsible for Iron Wood and Bush (whoa! just realized how dirty those two song titles sound side by side!). I’m just putting up a couple songs, whereas these crazy cats offer the ENTIRE ALBUMS, both of which are extreeeeeemely rare. It really does boggle my mind how such high quality material remains unreleased today. Go get yours while it’s hot, and of course, check out the other offerings while you’re there.

matsuli.blogspot.com provided the Kusini soundtrack and also has an enourmous catalogue of vintage African goodness.

quimsy.blogspot.com is giving out the African Voodoo library BOMB and also features some amazing Brazilian rarities.

The old school latin tracks from L’African Team are my own contribution, but I definitely don’t have time to record the whole LP. How do these cats do it?!? The album is a great example of Latin music thriving in Africa- where boogaloo (several years after it’s stateside death) met Afrofunk wah-wah.

Vieux Farka Toure : Ana (Captain Planet Remix)
“Passport” Mali Music Special : Broadcast from Feb. 27th
with Jesse Brenner (Modiba Productions) and Derek Beres (Globesonic)

I’ve been meaning to put this out there for a while, sorry for sleeping.

Vieux Farka Toure, son of the legendary Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Toure, has recently put out a beautiful album on the Modiba label. The record is a classic. In addition to making Vieux’s high caliber guitar skills finally available to listeners outside of Mali, the album also features the final recordings made by Ali in some beautiful duets with his son. In true Modiba fashion, 10% of proceeds go to a local organization in Mali which fights Malaria. SUPPORT THIS ORGANIZATION! BUY THE CD

All that was leading to this: the Remixed album. With the help of Derek Beres of Globesonic, Modiba has culled a very nice selection of Vieux remixes from folks like Nickodemus, Cheb-I-Sabbah, Chris Annibel, and DJ Center… to name a few. They have also done something pretty cutting edge in making sound files from the album publicly available for remixers to play with. There’s an open contest underway right now at CCMixter.org, so if you’re interested in participating HURRY! The deadline is in a couple of days. The winning remix will be added to the CD line-up and is a great way to get some proper intn’l recognition. Naw’m sayin? I spent a few frenzied days putting together this remix, and I think it came out pretty nice. Some afrobeat, brokenbeat, square-wave bassline biznizz dedicated to the dancefloor. I also had the pleasure of getting Jesse and Derek to come on my weekly radio show last Monday (sadly, Vieux couldn’t make it). So check out the show for more info on the whole project, exclusive live recordings of Vieux, and a sneak peek at some of the material from the upcoming remixed album.