Soul | RAPPAMELO

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April 27, 2013

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everybodydigs#97 Ann Peebles – Straight from the Heart

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

A lean, tough set that was not only a triumph for Peebles, but illustrated how the Hi label had surpassed its crosstown Stax rival for quality Memphis soul in the early ’70s. The guitars are spare, funky, and bluesy, the horn section punchy, and the material far earthier and down-home than the increasingly formulaic grooves at Stax. There were three modest R&B hits on the album (“Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love,” “I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home,” “Somebody’s on Your Case”), much of which was penned by Peebles or her husband Don Bryant. Peebles’ vocals were convincingly biting, and she never, unlike many other singers of the era, tried too hard for her own good. The main flaw of the record is its length (26 minutes), which was short even by early-’70s standards. (allmusic)

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April 21, 2013

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everybodydigs#96 Stevie Wonder – Innervisions

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

One of Stevie Wonder’s best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles, 1973′s Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit “Don’t Worry ‘Bout a Thing”), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of “Higher Ground”). The striking juxtaposition between “Vision,” a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great “Living for the City,” a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. –David Cantwell

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April 21, 2013

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everybodydigs#95 Nina Simone – High Priestess Of Soul

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Perhaps a bit more conscious of contemporary soul trends than her previous Philips albums, this is still very characteristic of her mid-’60s work in its eclectic mix of jazz, pop, soul, and some blues and gospel. Hal Mooney directs some large band arrangements for the material on this LP without submerging Simone’s essential strengths. The more serious and introspective material is more memorable than the good-natured pop selections here. The highlights are her energetic vocal rendition of the Oscar Brown/Nat Adderley composition “Work Song” and her spiritual composition “Come Ye,” on which Simone’s inspirational vocals are backed by nothing other than minimal percussion. (allmusic)

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April 20, 2013

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everybodydigs#94 Curtis Mayfield – Curtis

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

The first solo album by the former leader of the Impressions, Curtis represented a musical apotheosis for Curtis Mayfield — indeed, it was practically the “Sgt. Pepper’s” album of ’70s soul, helping with its content and its success to open the whole genre to much bigger, richer musical canvases than artists had previously worked with. All of Mayfield’s years of experience of life, music, and people were pulled together into a rich, powerful, topical musical statement that reflected not only the most up-to-date soul sounds of its period, finely produced by Mayfield himself, and the immediacy of the times and their political and social concerns, but also embraced the most elegant R&B sounds out of the past.

Rappamelo’s favorite track:

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April 8, 2013

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Soul Combo – Bless The Ladies

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Soul Combo, the italian collective formed by the soul singer Al Castellana and his fellow Daniele “Speed” Dibiaggio, just released their new album entitled “Bless The Ladies” featuring the voices of 10 Italian soul ladies, if you love good music this is something that you can not miss, you can stream the first single down below and get the full album on iTunes, enjoy!

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March 30, 2013

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Video: Soul Combo feat. Nicole – Miracle Man

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This is “Miracle Man” the first single from the forthcoming album “Bless The Ladies” by Soul Combo, the italian collective formed by the soul singer Al Castellana and his fellow Daniele “Speed” Dibiaggio. “Miracle Man” features the voice of the italian lady Nicole, nothing but great soul music, watch the video below, enjoy!

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February 28, 2013

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Bilal – A Love Surreal

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New Bilal‘s album is s finally out! A Love Surreal is Bilal’s fourth studio album and it’s a GREAT album! I’m not gonna say too much just…..watch the videos down below for an inside look into the making of “A Love Surreal” and then go get it! It’s available on iTunes and also you can still stream the album in its entirety on npr> www.npr.org enjoy!

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January 22, 2013

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José James – No Beginning, No End

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New José James‘s album entitled “No Beginning, No End” is finally out on Blue Note Records, we are just in January but i can already put this album in the top 10 of the best albums of the 2013, such a perfect mix of hip hop, jazz, funk, soul & r’n'b with the beautiful voice of José James and great artists like Robert Glasper, Pino Palladino and Chris Dave plus 2 great guests like Emily King and Hindi Zahra, do yourself a favor and pick up this album!

out now on iTunes and also you can still stream the album in its entirety on npr> www.npr.org enjoy!

Posted:

January 20, 2013

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everybodydigs#55 Aretha Franklin – Unforgettable: A Tribute To Dinah Wa

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Since her youth Franklin had admired Dinah Washington, and it’s a safe bet that the level of emotional commitment Washington brought to her work was a major influence on the blossoming style of Aretha, not to mention Washington’s effortless sense of swing. Shortly before she died, Washington took appreciate notice of her acolyte as well. So Aretha’s tribute to Washington is as logical as it is satisfying. Recorded when Aretha was just 21, UNFORGETTABLE is somewhat of a departure from her more R&B-oriented early work. However, the string arrangements of Johnny Mersey adn the jazzy bass work of George Duvivier mesh perfectly with Franklin’s high-flying vocal fireworks. From the slow, subtle caress of “What a Difference a Day Made” to the organ-led blues of “Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning,” the young Aretha is in total command of the material here, simultaneously paying homage to and progressing from the influence of Washington.

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January 17, 2013

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Chris Turner – LOVElife is A Challenge

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I like Chris Turner a lot but never posted something….. shame on me! this is a mixtape released few weeks ago entitled “LOVElife is A Challenge “ it’s available for free and it’s lovely! stream below and download at the bottom, enjoy!

World Soul Music is what Chris Turner uses as his remedy throughout this journey of life and love. So he presents to you his new project “LOVElife” to add to your collection of remedies that helps you continue to live life in all of its beauty. As a young man, Turner has experienced many worlds through this thing called life performing with musicians/friends such as Jesse Boykins III, ERIMAJ, Bilal, and Esperanza Spalding, as well as being father of two. “I’m blessed to know the feeling of fatherhood and to have a family of my own” says Turner, “It has taken all this time for me to gain the confidence to express what I have been living through this whole time.” This project is every aspect and extent of his love; the evolution of emotions expressed from a good man with music as his vessel. The importance of Loving Yourself first and foremost before you can give True Love to a significant other, as well as the world, is key, and is a lesson that Turner has embodied in life directly and musically.

“I am merely a middle man trying to bring you and true love together. LOVElife is my melodic contribution that highlights the significance of loving yourself, sharing growth, and learning to forgive. Releasing this body of work on this day is my gift to you, for I was born on this day, and life is a precious gift to me.” says Turner. LOVElife is a necessary part of an important search to find romance, of which there is no end. Happy Holidays to life and love, and all individuals finding their way, from Myself and The Romantic Movement. LOVEchild LP Coming Soon (@ChrisTurnerLC)

iamchristurner.com