Hailing from the Bay Area and now based in Los Angeles, Harriet Brown is the self-proclaimed champion of “romantic funk,” a realm where Prince is king and Sade is queen. His debut Contact, just released by Innovative Leisure, is “a concept album about communication and the contact we purposely, accidentally and inherently struggle to make between friends, lovers and […]
...moreIn a review of Jim James’s newest album Eternally Even, Pitchfork writer Ryan Leas declares that the artist “goes all-in on a frayed, psychedelic-soul aesthetic” that is only hinted at in previous recordings by James’s mainstay band, My Morning Jacket. Though the bulk of his songwriting efforts have gone into that long-enduring Kentucky-based rock group over the […]
...moreThe diversely talented Donald Glover has gained a following in almost every artistic arena, from stand-up comedy, to sitcoms, to film and music. First making a name for himself as a writer for the smart and funny NBC program 30 Rock, Glover went on to star in Community and the FX series Atlanta. Meanwhile, quietly and then not-so-quietly, he […]
...moreA new copyright lawsuit has been initiated against Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson for their single “Uptown Funk.” Collage, a funk band out of Minneapolis, alleges that the hit rips the instrumentals of their 1983 song “Young Girls”: Upon information and belief, many of the main instrumental attributes and themes of “Uptown Funk” are deliberately and clearly […]
...moreAllegedly covered and sampled by musicians as diverse as Madonna and Diana Ross to Mary J. Blige and Robert Palmer, the innovative single “I Want You,” off Marvin Gaye’s 1976 album of the same name, branches out from the Motown sound that typified his earlier work and delves into uncharted territory. Recognizable instrumentation—the soaring strings, the hard-edged guitar, […]
...moreEveryone knows funk music reached its heyday in the 1970s, but even legends like James Brown and George Clinton were hard pressed to compete with funk powerhouse The Isley Brothers in 1975. The title track “The Heat Is On (Part 1 & 2),” from their record of the same name, is a hard-driving, wall-shaking revelation that takes […]
...moreIn the pocket. It’s the only way to describe the slithery pulse of the bass and rhythm section in D’Angelo’s slow ballad “One Mo’ Gin,” off his explosive soul album from 2000, Voodoo. D’Angelo—otherwise known as the mild-mannered Michael Eugene Archer—keens with loneliness and nostalgia on “One Mo’ Gin,” layering his buttery falsetto over the […]
...moreSly and the Family Stone’s anarchic album There’s a Riot Goin’ On, released in 1971 following several tumultuous years in America, has been called “blunt and unflinching” and “very much informed by drugs” and “paranoia.” While the funk group’s creative dynamo, Sly Stone, had indeed been sidelined by drug abuse for months, his disillusionment with the […]
...moreSoul guitarist Willie Hale is perhaps most widely-known for his head-bopping contribution to Betty Wright’s hit song, “Clean Up Woman,” and maybe just as widely recognized for his nickname, Little Beaver. He apparently received the nickname in honor of his prominent teeth. Little Beaver earned a reputation as a talented session musician in the 60s […]
...moreFor years, people have been referring to lost sessions featuring Betty Davis and her former husband Miles Davis playing with bending genres, with Betty Davis introducing the jazz giant to Jimi Hendrix and the sounds of psychedelic rock. Recorded from 1968-1969 at Columbia’s 52nd Street studios, the mythic sessions laid the groundwork for the mix of jazz and […]
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You don’t need to know him personally, you say. You get the best of Prince through his music. Maybe that’s the truth, and maybe it isn’t.
...moreWe’ve spoken before of D’Angelo’s ever-evolving live shows, and his recent performance at the Sydney Opera House was no different: this time definitely leaning toward the funk in his rendition of Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Making Love.” Watch a clip of the song after the jump, then read about the performance and check out a photo slideshow of the full […]
...moreIn February of 1968, Jimi Hendrix’s album Axis: Bold As Love hit #3 on the charts in the United States. While still dominated by experimentation, both in terms of the music and in studio production, the album highlighted Hendrix’s lyrics and songwriting abilities to an extent not seen before. Critics often describe the foot-tapping single “Up From […]
...moreCall it arrogance, hubris, or a holier-than-thou attitude—there are some traits that just don’t make a great impression. Antoine “Fats” Domino was well aware of that when he released “What’s That You Got?” in 1965. The hefty New Orleans native is known for his funkiness as much as for his physical stature. This—perhaps ironically—short single manages […]
...moreGeorge Clinton spoke to VICE about his work with WOKE, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, and how “funk is always gonna survive.” Read the full interview here.
...moreJames Brown is known for creating a thing called funk, but it was the song “Cold Sweat,” co-written with his bandleader Pee Wee Ellis and released in 1967, that truly encapsulated this new genre of music. The track exploded all kinds of boundaries. Without a distinct melody, it treated every piece as a rhythm instrument. In the two-part […]
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Love it or hate it, if you listen to Live at the London Palladium, you’re going to get intimate with Marvin Gaye.
...moreIn light of all that D’Angelo has done and is doing for music and activism, okayplayer. featured a chronicle of Brown Sugar over the years, following the evolution in D’Angelo’s live performance of its material from debut through its soultronic resurrection and the current Second Coming tour. The album first debuted on July 3rd, 1995, […]
...moreThe distinctive drum beat behind The Meters’ funky classic “Hey Pocky A-Way” did not originate there. In fact, their influential drummer, Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste, first came up with the beat when he recorded “Shoo Fly Marches On” for Dr. John’s definitive 1974 record, In The Right Place. Modeliste reportedly modeled the pulse of the incredibly funky […]
...moreMardi Gras may have been last week, but the good times keep on rolling. New Orleans-based soul artist Walter “Wolfman” Washington knows a thing or two about good times—in his good-humored single “Mickey Mouse Boarding House,” the silky R&B crooner complains about his lodgings in the funkiest way possible. A thick beat nicely complements the bluesy piano […]
...moreBlack Messiah is an apt title for the long-awaited follow-up to contemporary soul master D’Angelo’s 2000 record, Voodoo. Fourteen years allows for plenty of anticipation. At times, the news from industry insiders made it seem like Black Messiah would never be released at all. Music lovers from around the world said ‘Hallelujah’ when it finally […]
...moreMerry Christmas baby You sure do treat me nice Soul icon Otis Redding’s short career was remarkably prolific. The highlights from his electrifying catalog are varied and buoyant, even in an area of pop music that has traditionally suffered from corniness. “Feelin mighty fine girl/ Got music on my radio,” Redding cries on possibly the […]
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