Listen Better

Albums Your Parents Should Have Played for You: The Brothers “Al”

26 July 2010

Welcome to Albums Your Parents Should Have Played You… It’s my attempt rectify this generations profound ignorance of the wonderful music their mom, dad, aunts, uncles, gramps, grammas and cousins enjoyed growing up… Hopefully, you’ll dig it and spread the joy of Soul Music… Growing up, if you stopped by my home on any weekend morning […]

Video: World B. Free “Another Day” (prod. by School of Beats)

7 May 2010

Almost forgot!!! World B. Free recently released the video for the song “Another Day” directed by Patrick House… off of School of Beats: Lesson III – The Progress Report… School of Beats is composed of myself and fellow beatmaker LaidBackBeats… Hope you enjoy the video… http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11343199&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1 – dre’ of onustees.com (and Walk On of School […]

Do Better Thursday: Throwbacks, Docs & Freaknik…

11 March 2010

It’s been over a year… and it’s still a beautiful thing… What it is good folks of Do Better Nation? Hope the days have gotten longer and little warmer wherever you are… This weeks Do Better Thursday post will feature more “Doing It Right”, like the picture above, than “Doing It Wrong”… Blame the warm […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 18: The Temptations (The Norman Whitfield Edition)

25 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: After making several hits in the traditional 60’s Motown sound, Norman Whitfield decided to change his style towards “psychedelic soul”. That transition was highly influenced by Day 17’s Sly & The Family Stone and greatly benefited Day 18’s The Temptations.       …I’m going to assume that we all know the […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 17: Sly & The Family Stone

24 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: …I tried… but I seem to have hit a dead-end with the degrees of separation from Day 16’s Rotary Connection to Day 17’s Sly & the Family Stone. If you know a way… please let me know…   In the early seventies there were three dominating styles of funk, the godfather […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 16: Rotary Connection

23 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: Before he made hits for Day’s 15’s EWF, Charles Stepney was one of the founding members of Day 16’s Rotary Connection.   Psychedelic brainchild of Charles Stepney and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess), Rotary Connection pushed the boundary of soul experimentation with the incorporation of jazz and the voice of […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 15: Earth, Wind & Fire

22 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: Day 14’s The Dells album Love Is Blue was arranged by Charles Stepney. Among the several groups Stepney arranged/produced, one of them was Day 15’s Earth, Wind & Fire.   …one of their early hits… “Keep Your Head to the Sky”… …co-written by Charles Stepney… “That’s the Way of the World”… […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 14: The Dells

19 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: In 1974, Day 13’s The Dramatics did a joint album with Day 14’s The Dells. The album was titled The Dells vs. The Dramatics.   The Dells were the bridge that linked doo-wop to classic soul. After their hit “Oh, What A Night”, in 1956, several groups patterned themselves after The […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 13: The Dramatics

18 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: Al Bell wrote “I’ll Take You There” for Day 12’s The Staple Singers. Bell launched the careers of several acts, one of those acts is Day 14’s The Dramatics.   Like The Spinners and The Stylistics, much much much more needs to be made of the legacy of The Dramatics. This […]

Black Music History “Group Session” – Day 12: The Staple Singers

18 February 2010

6 Degrees of Soul: Willie “Too Tall” Hall of Day 11’s The Bar Kays is known for backing several Stax artists. He was on the sticks for Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from Shaft”. One of the many Stax artists Hall backed was Day 13’s The Staple Singers.   Mavis, Cleotha, Yvonne & “Pops” make up the […]

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