Thirty-Eight and Thirty-Nine

Let no one say that SAFTBRCAID does not honor Black History month. I am going to spotlight some of my historical favs--none of which I currently own and all of which recall wonderful radio days. Think of these next few posts as my all-star version of the Tom Joyner Sky Show (as produced by a white middle-aged woman). Oh, and I have to go to a meeting for the next few days (one of the highlights: staying at a hotel immediately behind a Cracker Barrel; it's the small things, dear readers). So I'm doubling up today and will post again later this week.

Song thirty-eight is not much of an oldie. It belongs to the lovely Jill Scott, "A Long Walk." This is Miss Scott's break-out hit from a few years back. She has a mesmerizing delivery that kind of got lost in comparisons to the wave of soul revivalists who arrived in the late 90s (think Erykah Badu). But, I think Miss Scott's voice has a depth and resonance that is lacking in this group; though much of her work does sound a bit samey (listen to this and then the much more recent "Golden" and try to argue). The song is evocative of 70s soul without being a shallow revival revamp. The production is lush, carried along by sharp percussion and classic backing vocals. This is a real lazy Sunday song with a nice girl empowerment bent to its romance.

Song thirty-nine is a great oldie. Up front I will admit that Evelyn 'Champagne' King's "Shame" is on my list of absolutely perfect songs ever recorded. I can still hear Casey Kasem telling the story of how little Evelyn was discovered singing as she followed her custodial-worker mother around each evening. Who cares if it's true--this is a fabulous story. Miss King's voice is a fantastic deep growl, and I doubt if we would ever have had a Mary J. Blige without her. The song has such a great urgency about it with the ultimate 70s disco era production of horns, electronic percussion, and that slight tinny sound that screams full-on, flashing multi-colored lights, mirror ball, spandex, gold chain, strappy heels dance fest. Listen and boogie, y'all. (Try not to dance, I dare you.)

326 to go.