The Impressions

I think I'll stay along the soul lines of Kyle's last post tonight. I can't claim to have had the same year long devotion to the classic sounds of soul music that Kyle has, but my appreciation for the genre definitely has increased since '07. This new appreciation has led me to discover the magic that is The Impressions. Anymore the Impressions might be best known as the original group of Curtis Mayfield of "Super fly" fame, but the truth is that this is where Mayfield honed his skills, and where a lot of incredible music was made before his departure in 1970.

The gospel driven, smooth and soulful sound of The Impressions has really grabbed me lately, and while I still haven't had time to get through and listen to all their stuff (they have 10+ releases before Mayfield left), I already have some personal favorite songs. The songs that are my favorites combine their famously smooth harmonies with sweet guitar lines and funky horn licks that give the songs life. Their sound in the late 60s represented a shift away from some of the early doo wop sounds of soul on towards the soul/funk genre that would be led by Mayfield later on. Its the beginnings of the shift that represent some of their best work, almost like James Brown soul/funk but without the screaming and onstage antics, and with better harmonies.

These here are some of my favorite tracks from them that I think showcase some of the stuff I was writing about. While they're all great tracks, I especially recommend "Fool For You" and "We're A Winner".

The Impressions - Fool For You

The Impressions - Seven Years

The Impressions - We're A Winner

The Impressions - The Young Mod's Forgotten Story


- Alec

A Dash of Soul

Alec and I were recently talking about any new bands/genres that we had really been digging lately, and I realized that I'm still stuck on this whole soul thing. Sure, I have been digging some indie stuff, some post-hardcore, some hip-hop, some blues....but I think I have found my personal favorite genre over the past year or so. I think it's really because you can feel the heart in the albums. There is a desire and an idea that 'these words need to be heard' that just isn't found in today's 'pop-singles culture'. Since I haven't posted about soul in a while, I'll give you a three song sampler of some artists that I really like.

The Classic Example - Punish Me
The Classic Example put out a self-titled CD in 1972 that I have had on pretty much constant rotation for the past few weeks. The entire CD is fantastic (especially with the guy/girl vocals), but the song that really stuck out was 'Punish Me'. It begins with an uptempo piano riff and the male voice begging for punishment if he ever does anything to hurt his woman. Harmonies come in during the chorus, and I dare you not to tap your foot through the entire 2:47.

Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' is one of the all-time great soul tunes, and also one of the most influential not only musically, but politically and socially. If you haven't ever heard it...listen...now. It's a compelling song about racism in America written during the 1960's, and how Sam believes that one day things will be better for everyone in the Land of Opportunity.

Rufus - Walkin in the Sun
The last tune is by the band Rufus, which features soul singer Chaka Khan. It's a very uplifting song that has a fairly poignant message, saying that 'even a blind man can tell when he's walking in the sun.' I take it as a song about self-realization and the fact that you should really open your eyes and see how good your life really is. There are some amazing harmonies in the chorus, and the rest of the song just glides pleasantly along your eardrums.

Enjoy!

Whoops

Apparently Lil Wayne's people (and by his people I'm guessing the good folks at blogger.com) weren't too fond of me posting some songs of his. I was going to repost it with the songs removed, but apparently the whole post is gone. The main point of it was that Lil Wayne is a much more talented artist than his hit songs such as "Lollipop" would suggest, and the album is worth a listen for its creativity.

I recommend checking out the songs "Mr. Carter (feat. Jay Z)", "Dr. Carter" and "Tie my Hands (feat. Robin Thicke)"

None of which are on his myspace account of course

Sweet, good talk

- Alec