‘News’ Category
Monday, July 14th, 2008
When Stax Records released Isaac Hayes’ second album in 1969, it was unlikely that anyone at the label considered that it might be the kind of groundbreaking record it became on so many levels. Hayes had already been a highly successful producer and songwriter for the label and even if he had ambitions as a solo artist, the lack of response to his first LP, 1967’s “Presenting Isaac Hayes” did not bode well. But “Hot Buttered Soul” was light years ahead of Ike’s debut set: with just four tracks, The Bar-Kays playing brilliantly, an unnamed female coterie of background vocalists and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra providing a sumptuous backdrop, Hayes embellished two classic songs of the day – the Bacharach/David-Dionne Warwick 1964 hit “Walk On By” and Glen Campbell’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” – adding vocal nuances, a soulful emphasis (particularly on ‘Phoenix,’ a country-flavored pop ode, for which Hayes created an unforgettable opening monologue) and his own distinctive baritone.
For good measure, there were two original tunes, “One Woman” (later recorded by Al Green) and Hayes’ own unpronounceable but compellingly funky “Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic” but undoubtedly, the two cover tunes (covering a total of thirty minutes of music between them) served as masterful bookends, making “Hot Buttered Soul” unlike any other piece of work geared towards an R&B/soul audience at the time.
The climactic build-up Hayes offered on both “Walk On By” and “Phoenix” was breathtaking: lyricist Hal David probably never envisaged the insertion of the phrase ‘you socked it to me, mama’ into his bittersweet tale of a broken love affair and composer Jim Webb likely never imagined Ike’s slice-of-life-and-love, eight-and-a-half minute philosophical rap that preceded the stirring interpretation Hayes brought to his tune. Personally, it was a little tough for me to get used to the ‘new’ way Ike approached “Walk On By”: it was the record by Dionne Warwick that first ‘introduced’ me to soul music and set me on the pathway to a lifelong passion and indeed, an entire career! I eventually came to enjoy and appreciate the Hayes’ version once I stopped comparing the two; and years later, when I saw Isaac and Dionne in concert as part of a nationwide tour (known as ‘A Man And A Woman’), I fully recognized just how much deep appreciation and admiration Ike felt for Dionne’s music.
“Hot Buttered Soul” – recently reissued by Concord in glorious 120 gram vinyl due to the increased interest and demand among collectors (and also available on CD) – not only established Isaac Hayes as a contemporary musical icon, it gave Stax Records a massive best-seller, at the same time initiating a whole new approach to albums by black music artists of the day. It’s no surprise that it sounds as good now as it did in ’69.
David Nathan
A/k/a the British Ambassador Of Soul
Secretary, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation (www.rhythmblues.org)
Owner,
www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com,
www.soulmusicglobal.com
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Monday, June 16th, 2008
“The two things that people keep telling me about my new record (“Self Potrait,” just released on Stax/Concord) are that they can listen to it all the way through as a body of work – and that’s really beautiful. And, a lot of people will say, ‘Girl, I love your father but I love you too!’ I’m getting so much love from just being my father’s daughter and that’s very gratifying.”
Lalah Hathaway is speaking of Donny and in a June 16 interview, she says, “Being with Stax Records is very exciting for me since so many of my Dad’s contemporaries were at the label…” Much like her father’s work, Lalah’s latest project is introspective and very personal. She considers some of the songs: “Well, “What Goes Around” was inspired by a particular incident in my life that had me look at the overall concept of ‘reap what you sow.’ The song “Learning To Swim” was literal – it was written in 1993 when I was in Bermuda and some friends were teaching me how to swim! The song is metaphorical for me…I’m constantly re-learning things. “Tragic Inevitability” was also inspired by a personal situation: the track was done by two of the musicians who are in the band that travels with the ‘Daughters Of Soul’ show (done with Nina Simone’s daughter Simone, Chaka Khan’s daughter Milini and Sandra St. Victor, among others) and I told the guys I wanted something like a Bjork, Ambient, Radiohead kind of track. I literally came up with the lyrics standing at the microphone! And “On Your Own”? When I first started working on the album with (producer) Rex Rideout, he played me the track: it had similar vibe and feel to “Forever, For Always, For Love” (the title track featuring Lalah on the 2007 tribute album to Luther Vandross) but I didn’t want to do anything with it at first. I came back to it – it was the last song I did for the album and it was inspired by a dream I had in which my father was giving me all this music. So many people who knew my Dad say we are so much alike…” (A footnote: unbeknownst to Lalah, her father in fact had recorded a song called “Make It On Your Own” which has remained in Atlantic’s vaults since 1971; she was understandably shocked when I revealed that the song even existed with a title so similar to her own new recording).
Just off the road for week after doing shows and promoting “Self Portrait,” Lalah considers her career is “a funny thing. I haven’t sold millions of records, I haven’t had any gold records, no number ones but I still feel very successful. My dogs are fed, I have a great group of friends, I don’t really want for anything… I’m able to work even when I don’t have a record out…I’ve been able to do what I love for almost twenty years: my career’s very fulfilling and I’ve been very blessed…”
Singular in her approach to her work, Lalah is one of the few artists – and certainly the only one who comes to mind of her generation – who understands the importance of space and silence in between words. Her father’s occasional duet partner Roberta Flack has the same gift. Having seen Lalah in concert on a few occasions, I can’t wait to hear the music on “Self Portrait” brought to life in performance.
David Nathan
A/k/a the British Ambassador Of Soul
Secretary, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation (www.rhythmblues.org)
Owner,
www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com,
www.soulmusicglobal.com
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Monday, June 16th, 2008
Beyond her family roots (as the daughter of the late, great Donny Hathaway), Lalah Hathaway has always prided herself on her stand for artistic integrity. Going back to when she and I first met in 1990 at the time of the release of her debut album for Virgin Records, the Berklee School Of Music graduate has made it clear that her approach to music is about art and emotion. The pathway to recognition beyond the small coterie of discerning music buyers who instantly responded to her based on her family name hasn’t been an easy one for Lalah: three solo albums and “The Song Lives On,” a 1999 set with ex-Crusader Joe Sample have expanded her reach without any loss of her much-treasured artistic integrity. Her much-awaited first album for Stax/Concord is the appropriately entitled “Self Portrait” and undoubtedly, it’s her most personal work to date.
Working with producers Rex Rideout, Kenneth Crouch, Paula Galitano and Terrace Martin, Lalah has fashioned a record that displays a deeper commitment to her art: she was involved in co-writing and co-producing all twelve tracks. Much like her father’s albums, “Self Portrait” is a piece of work listened to in its entirety. There are some brilliant cuts: “Let Go” and “Learning To Swim” are particularly notable while “What Goes Around” has the earmarks of a future Lalah classic. “Little Girl” has an intimate flavor that suggests that, much like the other songs on “Self Portrait,” Lalah is directly referencing her own life experience rather than taking on the role of an observer (as some songwriters do). “Udo” (“Unidentified Divine Object”) is poetic while the mellow closing cut, “Tragic Inevitability” is not as somber as its title implies.
In a June 16 interview, Lalah agrees that “Self Portrait” is “my most personal album to date. I almost feel like this is my first album,” she notes. “When I made my first record for Virgin, I was young – I arrived in Los Angeles on the Amtrak from Boston and we just made the record, boom. The second one was different because the A&R staff at Virgin was changing and so was the music scene. My third record, with Joe Sample, was precious, a classic. It took quite a few years for my last record, “Outrun The Sky” because I was looking for a label who would pay to put it out. This new one was the most pristine experience: I signed with Concord/Stax, we went in and made the record and now it’s out. In the past, every time I made a record, I had to deal with companies giving me rules about what wouldn’t work. This time, I didn’t care what people thought…and I’m so proud of how it turned out. This is my best record and my new hope is that each album I make is better than the last…”
David Nathan
a/k/a “The British Ambassador Of Soul”
Owner,
www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com,
www.soulmusicglobal.com
Secretary, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation (www.rhythmblues.org)
Senior Contributing Writer, Blues & Soul (www.bluesandsoul.com)
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Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – What would happen if you combined Steve Cropper, the Memphis-weaned Stax guitar powerhouse who also wrote and co-wrote many soul classics, with Felix Cavaliere, the singer, songwriter and keyboardist whose soulful voice and songs helped form the Rascals? The world is about to find out when Stax Records releases Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere’s Nudge It Up a Notch on July 29, 2008.
This soul summit came about as a result of conversations between Cropper and producer/songwriter Jon Tiven. When Tiven moved to Nashville several years ago, he asked Cropper what he was up to. Cropper replied that he was focusing on live dates with Booker T & the MGs and the Blues Brothers, but harbored the desire to record some new music. But who would sing? The answer, it turned out, was Cavaliere, who, like Cropper and Tiven, now lived in Nashville. In fact Cropper and Cavaliere were no strangers: they had, with a few other well-known musicians, put together a band to play special events. The two hadn’t written together before, but agreed it would be fun to try.
The writing process began at Tiven’s Hormone Studios, followed by the recording of two songs, “One of Those Days” (the album’s lead track) and “Love Appetite.” Drummer Chester Thompson, a veteran of John Fogerty, Frank Zappa, Genesis and Frank Black, signed on as drummer, and suggested a bass player, his friend Shake Anderson, who was Curtis Mayfield’s protege. The assemblage grew to include two backup singers, Mark Williams and N’nandi Bryant. And that was it. No special guest stars. As Tiven wrote in the notes, “This isn’t one of those albums where you have to guess who’s doing what — every guitar lick is Steve, every keyboard is Felix, and all the songs are originals.”
Tiven elaborates on the legacies of Cropper and Cavaliere: “Steve Cropper is a guitar player’s guitarist but also a songwriter’s songwriter,” he writes. “If the only thing he did in life was to play producer/co-writer/guitarist for Otis Redding, that would be enough. But he also helmed enough albums that made their mark on American pop culture by artists like Booker T & the MGs, The Blues Brothers, Jeff Beck and John Mellencamp to qualify him as a bona fide national treasure.”
”And Cavaliere . . .,” he adds, “If you were alive in the alive in the mid-to-late ’60s, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing his voice and songs are part of his group The Young Rascals (later The Rascals). Their blue-eyed soul dominated the airwaves . . . and gave this country the kind of soul music most folks wouldn’t think to associate with a bunch of Long Island Peppermint Lounge expatriates.”
Nudge It Up a Notch, which was reverently mixed by the legendary David Z, features 12 tracks, including several instrumentals (Cropper having a bit of history in the R&B instrumental department) alongside vocal tracks. On a few tunes the team turned to friends Henry Gross and Tom Hambridge to provide their lyrical spin. One track, “Make The Time Go Faster,” embellishes its chunky soul riff with rap passages.
”If all this combination of iconic songwriter/performers had to offer was simply the sum of their parts it would be extraordinary,” Tiven concludes. “But you put this much flammable material in the room and you don’t just get a little heat. You get a bonfire.”
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