Monday, 29 March 2010

Marvin Gaye - Sanctified Lady

From the posthumously released Dream of a Lifetime - the name of this track was originally Sanctified Pussy, and if you listen carefully you can hear Marvin singing the title, although those nasty female backing vocals do their best to conceal it...




Sanctified Lady
Marvin Gaye
from Dream of a Lifetime (1985)


Sunday, 28 March 2010

Van Dyke Parks - The Four Mills Brothers

An interesting take on an old calypso song by Roaring Lion, who according to Wikipedia is the grandfather of Carlton Banks...




The Four Mills Brothers
Van Dyke Parks
from Discover America (1972)

Thursday, 25 March 2010

Jocko - Rhythm Talk

Disco rap.




Rhythm Talk
Jocko
from Rhythm Talk 12" (1979)


Tuesday, 23 March 2010

Luiz Melodia - Veleiro Azul

a kool brazilian breeze.




Veleiro Azul
Luiz Melodia
from Maravilhas Contemporâneas (1976)


Friday, 19 March 2010

Goran Bregović - Yeremia

Prelude to a hangover...




Yeremia
Goran Bregović
from Alkohol (Šljivovica & Champagne) (2009)

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Monday, 15 March 2010

Tatsuro Yamashita - Love Talkin'

J-Funk.




Love Talkin'
Tatsuro Yamashita
from For You (1982)

Thursday, 11 March 2010

Selda Bağcan - Dam Üstüne Çul Serer

An hallucinogenic Turkish delight...




Dam Üstüne Çul Serer
Selda
from S/T (1976)

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Free - The Stealer

makes me wanna go hit a bar in my PJ's...




The Stealer
Free
from Highway (1970)

Sunday, 7 March 2010

Ana Mazzotti - Feel Like Making Love

Laid Back...




Feel Like Making Love
Ana Mazzotti
from S/T (1974)

Thursday, 4 March 2010

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

O Nosso Amor (Tambourine and Accordion)

One of Jobim's earliest recordings, a colourful, vibrant, samba-fused instrumental for the Black Orpheus soundtrack.




O Nosso Amor (Tambourine and Accordion)
Antonio Carlos Jobim
from Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) OST (1959)


Sunday, 28 February 2010

Philip Lynott - Old Town

A real classic from Lynott's second and last solo album.




Old Town
Philip Lynott
from The Philip Lynott Album (1982)



Saturday, 27 February 2010

John Fogerty - Vanz Kant Danz

How about some weekend Synth-Swamp?




Vanz Kant Danz
John Fogerty
from Centerfield (1985)

Monday, 22 February 2010

Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe - Guajira Ven

It's a cold, wet, grey, miserable day... time for salsa!




Guajira Ven
Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe
from Lo Mato (1973)

Saturday, 20 February 2010

Chalawa - Jamming

ice cold.




Jamming
Chalawa
from Exodus Dub (1977)

Saturday, 13 February 2010

Cassiano - Onda

perfection.




Onda
Cassiano
from Cuban Soul - 18 Kilates (1976)

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Ya Rayah

Ya Rayah (يا الرايح) is a song written and recorded around 1973 by the Algerian Chaabi singer, Dahmane el Harrachi. Its lyrics speak of the pain and longing involved in emigrating from ones native homeland to a foreign and strange country.

Whilst El Harrachi was referring to leaving his native Algeria for France, the universal appeal of his words have seen the song covered by many artists of different nationalities. Here's a pick of some of my favourites...

Goran Bregovic's arrangement for Greek singer George Dalaras, fellow Algerian Rachid Taha's famous adaptation from 1998, as well as a brilliant interpretation by the Israeli group, Orchestre Andalou D'Israel.



Ya Rayah
Dahmane El Harrachi
from Le Chaabi - Volume I (1973)




Ki An Se Thelo
George Dalaras with Goran Bregovic
from Thessaloniki - Yannena with Two Canvas Shoes (1997)






Ya Rayah
Rachid Taha
from Diwan (1998)




Ya Rayah
Orchestre Andalou D'Israel with Emil Zirhan
from Maghreb I (2000)

Monday, 8 February 2010

Prince - Rockhard In A Funky Place

"I just hate to see an erection go to waste..."




Rockhard In A Funky Place
Prince
from Black Album (1987)

Tuesday, 2 February 2010

Ed Motta

I'll be honest in saying that's it's extremely rare for me to find a modern-day singer-songwriter that really excites me, but Ed Motta certainly belongs to that elite few. He is famously the nephew of the legendary Brazilian singer Tim Maia, although a consistently solid output of music between 1990 to the present day has made Ed Motta well and truly an artist in his own right. Motta's music draws influence from acts as diverse as Steely Dan, Donny Hathaway, John Coltrane as well as Brazilian greats like Moacir Santos and of course Maia and the rich MPB tradition. His long-player output tends to fluctuate in genre, with some albums being heavily jazz-based and others more in the vein of a soulful-pop sound. I am going to focus on the pop side of Motta's music here; partly because its more accessible, but also because I really just want to give you a taster. His albums are pretty much all worth getting hold of, and so I urge you to check them out!

I have included music here from three of Ed Motta's albums of the past decade including his latest release Piquenique, the title track of which was my probably favourite song of 2009.


Dez Mais Um Amor
Assim, Assim
from As Segundas Intenções Do Manual Practico (2000)





Tem Espaço Na Van
Coincidência
from Poptical (2003)





Minha Vida Toda Com Você
Piquenique
from Piquenique (2009)