The Omega to the Week Starter Alpha, Week Ender is the song we want to send you into the weekend with.
Typically with the Week Ender column we give you a big energy rock n’ roll or hip-hop number to get the weekend started, or maybe some sexy R&B to make that weekend spicy, or occasionally as we did last week a “keep your head up, we can get through this” style anthem. Today we want to mix it up and send you into the weekend thinking about empathy. How we can all get to a better place by doing our best to understand and respect others journeys. I Used To Be Sam is the latest project from Annie Goodchild and is her most personal date, unpacking her search for identity as a transracial adoptee. Goodchild’s voice is a powerhouse, no doubt, but the real power is in it’s control and subtlety, the emotional resonance. On “Mountains” it weaves in and out and rides atop a slinky and inventive R&B track that brings to mind Solange’s masterpiece A Seat At The Table. Similarly to that album, Goodchild incorporates clips of interviews into the track, but in this case with other transracial adoptees sharing their stories. It’s a lush and lovely song that flourishes in the ears but opens the eyes and ultimately rests in the heart – if you let it.
Friday 5×5 is our segment where we give you five new tracks to check out and give ourselves the challenge of describing said tracks in only five words.
Today we have 25 words total for 5 songs that totally don’t need us yammering on and on for you to get the point and that point is: they good. They real good. Check out the self-explanatory goodness from Airships on the Water, Matan Arkin, The Delines, Butterfly and Half Shadow after the jump. . .
Mike’s Monday Muse is where friend of the blog, roots DJ, house show organizer, Bloomington Music Expo czar and all around nice guy Mike McAfee picks one song a week to share with the people.
Originally released in 1985, Jess Sah Bi and Peter One’s sweet debut album of Ivory Coast-West African-country-soul-folk-reggae tunes Our Garden Needs Its Flowers was reissued 33 years later by Awesome Tapes From Africa. It’s stunning and worth reminding everyone to get yourself these jams.
Mike’s Monday Muse is where friend of the blog, roots DJ, house show organizer, Bloomington Music Expo czar and all around nice guy Mike McAfee picks one song a week to share with the people.
Can’t sleep. I’m up at 4:00 AM listening to The Sea Drift again. Counting Willy Vlautin’s novel soundtracks, The Sea Drift is record #6 from The Delines and “Kid Codeine” happens to be my favorite song on it. Willy said the song was inspired by an LA cougar with a big bouffant hairdo, a trip to a strip bar, and a junkie dancer crashing into his table.
Mike’s Monday Muse is where friend of the blog, roots DJ, house show organizer, Bloomington Music Expo czar and all around nice guy Mike McAfee picks one song a week to share with the people.
As a wartime teenager, Phương Tâm performed in the Saigon nightclubs becoming one of Vietnam’s first successful rock-n-rollers. Tâm gave it up for love eventually fleeing Vietnam with her husband to California in 1975 where they raised a family. Incredibly, Tâm never shared her past fame with her children. Her daughter, Hannah Hà, found out in 2019 after being contacted by a Vietnamese film producer asking to use her mom’s music in a movie. Hà was inspired to find her mom’s tunes, which led to the fabulous 25-song compilation called Magical Nights: Saigon Surf Twist & Soul (1964-1966).
Mike’s Monday Muse is where friend of the blog, roots DJ, house show organizer, Bloomington Music Expo czar and all around nice guy Mike McAfee picks one song a week to share with the people.
Before crushing it left-handed, she tells a great story about Mick Jagger calling her to get permission to cover this song on their Rolling Stones, Now! record. Barbara Lynn, Empress of Gulf Coast Soul, has written, sang and played lead guitar on most of her songs during her incredible 60-year career. She’s so damn good and cool she toured with Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, etc. and has been sampled by Moby and Lil’ Wayne.
Play Listy For Me is our column where we share with you all the music we recently talked about in a genre blocked playlist, plus extra bonus songs.
Some people pay a lot of money to hide their roots, but we show ours with pride here at PE. Check out the latest in roots, Americana, folk, soul and indie/freak/alt versions of all those in this playlist.
Like most people, we found out about Robert Finley when he appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2019 – not because we watch that abomination against music, but because people we knew who watched it to keep their spouses happy were like “holy shit, there’s an actual artist on AGT!” And the supportive spouses were right. Finley’s raspy soulful voice and undeniable spirit won the day then and it does now on his new single “Country Boy.” The song is as tasty and tasteful as it comes, laying down a country soul groove for Finley to do his thing on, and what a beautiful thing it is.
We Never Asked For This is our short reviews of the best releases that showed up in our inbox unsolicited this week.
Equinox shmequinox. The real proof of life is all the sweet jams filling up our inbox. Enjoy new tunes from Vangelism, Carmen Mellino, Brandon De La Cruz, Roxy Jules, Jiants, TrueMendous, Kidä, Remington super 60, Brandon Jenner and Cosmic Crooner.
