Soft Serve

I love a mean break as much as the next guy. I mean, hard drums with dollops of bass works well for me. But lately, I’ve been listening to these soft, slightly fluffy tracks. You know, the kind you wouldn’t play in a car with your boys, the kind you can’t sing aloud ‘cause it’d sound like you were singing about some dude. Having said that, here are 3 that I can’t get enough of lately. Enjoy!
“One Girl Too Late” by Brenda and The Tabulations is real nice. The arrangement keeps things active all the way 'til the end, and Brenda Payton’s youthful voice is real fitting for the song’s schoolgirl-crush vibe.

Lou Ragland and G.L.O. never had many hits, but this one reminds me of a 6th grade social (minus the awkwardness). The melody is pretty sweet, plus the beginning is perfect sample-fodder for a corny rap ballad. The recording is a bit low, so turn this one way up!


I’m not a huge fan of Alicia Keyes and was skeptical since, “Where Do We Go From Here”, is a remake of Wendy Rene’s, “After Laughter (Comes Tears)”. But it’s more like a homage (or maybe a straight rip-off, not exactly a cover, you’ll see) and has landed itself in the recent rotation. It’s not exactly soft, but then again, Keys isn’t hard. The interpolation of the main melody sounds like something Mark Ronson would do and the beat knocks. I've been sleeping on this one, apparently.

Lampin' With Leon Michels

(Leon Michels, right)

If you’ve heard Menahan Street Band’s Make The Road By Walking (one of the best albums of ’08!), then you know the horns are a major part of the album--if not the most important part. The horn-lines were versatile and could add texture to a track, be its centerpiece, or both. In short, they were outstanding and were the product of Leon Michels, founder of Truth&Soul Records and frontman of El Michels Affair.

Menahan’s bandleader, Tommy Brenneck, has said that he thinks Leon Michels is currently one of the top horn arrangers in the business, which is tough to dispute if you’ve heard either Make The Road…or Sounding Out The City. I spoke to Leon last year for Slap Magazine, and afterwards, he graciously shipped us a box of records to help sponsor San Jose’s Dig Dug. The year's young, and Truth&Soul are gearing up to drop more heat in '09. Here are some parts from the series of interviews we did a while back. Thanks again Leon, looking forward to the coming year.

Sounding Out The Scene

What was the response when you guys first played live? It was first with the Mighty Imperials. At the time, we were sixteen and played hard funk songs to audiences of twenty-something hipsters in New York. People usually had a hard time wrapping their heads around the experience. It was a novelty act of sorts. With the El Michels Affair, it is different. Aside from the Wu-Tang shows we played, our original music is entirely instrumental. So the shows, depending the audience, are hit or miss.

Do you see your band expanding and playing different types of music, or just sticking with what you’ve already established?
Most of the stuff we do at Truth&Soul is produced and written by myself, Jeff, and some of the guys from El Michels. So we are consistently changing our style but attaching different band names to the music.

How did that Amy Winehouse remix come about?
Universal asked us to do a remix cause they had been played some El Michels stuff, and heard a few of the songs that we had done with Lee Fields. [Click HERE to download it!!!]

How did it feel when you found out your song was going to be used on The Sopranos? Were you guys fans of the show? I was watching the show and had no idea the song was gonna get used. That show, in my opinion is the best TV series ever, so I freaked out and called everyone I know. I’m glad we could contribute to that series.

Where do you and your band want to be in five years?
Doing the same thing we're doing now….making real music that we’re feeling.

Renewed Interest (for the interested)

What about your music do you think has been grabbing people’s attention?
I feel our music is a little more “smoked out” and soulful than certain stuff coming from the same scene. We are making music from the heart rather than simply trying to ape a sound.

So then, what are your thoughts on this recent revival of funk and soul?
No one making the music should be following the “soul” formula so literally. It cheapens the art form.

Would we only find old funk and soul playing at your pad? What music are you currently listening to?
I love all types of music but it’s hard for me to enjoy most of the new music being played on the radio. I’m listening to Rocksteady and early dub records, 60’s Cumbia, Fania Records, Sweet Soul music ala The Delfonics, The Sylistics, and I listened to way to much of our own music at Truth&Soul.

Your songs definitely have a Latin flare. Touch on that a bit. I love Latin music and sometimes that stuff creeps into our music.

Wu-Tang! Wu-Tang!
What upcoming projects do you have in store?
We have a record of Wu-Tang Covers that will be released on Fatbeats, a Lee Fields & The Expressions record coming out on T&S, and a couple of other projects in the pipeline. We did a remix for a Universal artist by the name of Gabriella Cilmi called “Sweet As Can Be”, and a few other production things we’ve done for other labels.

How was working with Raekwon when you guys backed him on the road?
Raekwon, Wu-Tang and El Michels Affair were a perfect match. Rza’s beats have a very cinematic feel to all of them and the beats by themselves are good compositions, not just good loops. All those guys were crazy professional and making music with them was pleasure. We did the tour with Raekwon and then we also did a series of shows with Gza, Inspectah Deck, and U-God.

What’s your favorite Wu-Tang album?
Their first record, by far!!!!!!

How has being a hip-hop fan affected your songwriting?
I love hip-hop but mostly for the samples and records they flip. That is why the Shaolin Series was so good. It was full circle---original songs flipped into a collage of loops turned back into a live song.

So, what were Wu-Tang like? Are they funny characters?
They could never get the band name right! [laughs] I don’t think they’d ever worked with a live band, so sometimes when the tempo drifted, and didn’t sound exactly like the record, there would be confusion [laughs]. They were great. Overall, it was great working with them….they’re legends.

perfect pairing

Not much more can be said about the great Alton Ellis. Ellis was a giant of his genre and his career has been rightfully celebrated up until his recent passing last year. His career produced huge collaborations with many producers and singers, one of which is with the always sweet, always enjoyable, Phyllis Dillon.
“I’m Just The Guy”, recorded for Studio One in 1967 is, needless to say, a killer collaboration between the two. I like how the song is about two soon-to-be lovers warning eachother about themselves. Both Ellis and Dillon deliver, sounding at once vulnerable and directly confrontational. Shouts to my girl for schooling me on this one.


**Bonus Cut: “Make Me Yours”, not only my favorite Phyllis Dillon cut, but is a good example of how her cadences totally accent an otherwise simple arrangement.

shake it, shake, shake it

I've been a sucker for falsetto love songs lately (see: I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine). “Shake It Up” by the Vibrations begins with a break, transitions into some dialogue, before diving into some nice falsetto. It's catchy, light-hearted, and has lots of energy squeezed into its 3-minute duration. The harmonies enhance the active arrangement, which sounds like a mix between Smoked Sugar's "I'm A Winner" and The Moments' (& The Whatnauts') "Girls" .

"Shake It Up"

The Vibrations formed in Los Angeles in the '50s, consisting of Don Bradley (bass), Carl Fisher (second tenor), Dave Govan (baritone), Jimmy Johnson (lead), and Richard “Ricky” Owens. They were active until the mid-‘70s, releasing hit singles under different handles for different labels including, Checker, Chess, Okeh, and Epic. Initially, they recorded as The Jay Hawks before changing their name to The Marathons, and finally settling as The Vibrations. One of their members, Ricky Owens, left the group and joined the Temptations for a brief period as well. They had a handful of charting singles and is believed to have disbanded in 1976. Click here for more info on these guys, their music, and their history. Shake it up!

King Carter: Lil Wayne Rules '08

It's official: Lil Wayne's The Carter III was the top selling album of 2008, edging out Coldplay by a healthy margin of 2.88 million to 2.15 million copies sold. I had some major issues with it, but did like some songs and can definitely see why Wayne appeals to such varied listeners.

Since the tallies are in and Wayne won (beating out both T.I. and Beyonce), I thought it was appropriate to post this really dope article from The Oxford American, written by David Ramsey, a first year high school teacher who taught in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The article, which has been floating around the internet for months now, greatly shows how kids interpret and internalize music in relation to their hometown. It also has lots of genuine, sweet moments throughout.

I Will Forever Remain Faithful New Orleans: How Lil Wayne Helped Me Survive My First Year Teaching In New Orleans.

By David Ramsey

Read it in its entirety HERE

After reading the article, I heard "La La La" (off The Carter III) in a totally different light. This is how hometown anthems are done. Click here to hear, again.

the clinton administration...

...George Clinton that is. And I was lucky enough to talk to him a few months back. The interview had to be majorly edited due to his off the wall answers, frequent cursing, and drawn out drug stories. It was at once an honor and totally entertaining, and part of me wishes it was for a different publication that would've allowed such material. Since it was for the San Jose Mercury News (which I'm stoked to have written for!), the version that ran is admittedly brief, bland, and g-rated. Here it is for the interested anyways. Click on South Park George to check it out!