Paul Carrack has a new album out, which makes me very happy. The record is called “One on One” and at 70, Paul will be touring from January 2022 into April – but so far, not in the USA.  Back home in England, Paul is known and loved for his soulful sound. The BBC even made a 2012 documentary about him called “The Man with the Golden Voice.” That he’s not well-known in America is even stranger when you realize you’ve heard Paul Carrack’s voice on American radio for decades. You just never suspected all those songs from different bands had the same guy on lead vocal. Let’s start with Carrack’s hit with the band Ace. In 1975, “How Long” went to #3 in America.

I’ve written before about my side gig as a weekend Smooth Jazz DJ. We played “How Long” all the time. No way is it jazz, but you can’t deny it’s smooth. After Ace, Carrack joined Squeeze for what is probably his best-known vocal. “Tempted” was written by Squeeze’s core duo, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, but mostly sung by the band’s new keyboardist. This isn’t the version of the video that was on MTV, but it’s the one that’s on YouTube, so here we go…

Continue reading

I’m looking forward to the end of July and the release of Los Lobos’ new album, “Native Sons.” The band has gone back and recorded covers of Los Angeles bands and musicians that influenced them at the start. So far, there have been previews of songs originally by Thee Midniters, The Beach Boys, and Barrett Strong, who co-wrote “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and Edwin Starr’s “War.” This is Barrett’s “Misery.”

“Native Sons” also includes covers of Buffalo Springfield, Jackson Brown, and The Blasters (which used to include now-Los Lobos member Steve Berlin). This isn’t the first covers album for Los Lobos. They released “Los Lobos Goes Disney” back in 2009 and I directed an unofficial music video for “Heigh-Ho” that actually had all the members of Los Lobos in it. You can go back and read the original post here.

I was listening to Greg Proops’ podcast, “The Smartest Man in the World” (aka “The Proopcast”), and his wife, Jennifer, dropped in a bit of a recent Blue Note Records release from Dr. Lonnie Smith and Iggy Pop. I liked it and maybe you will too.

Dr. Lonnie Smith has been playing the Hammond B-3 organ since his teens. He started in a band with Grover Washington Jr., played as both a sideman and a band leader for decades, and now at 78, has released his 29^th solo album, “Breathe.” Smith is either called “Doctor” because he likes to “doctor up” melodies with improvisations – or maybe because he didn’t want to be confused with keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith.

A lot of “Breathe” is 2017 live cuts, recorded about the same time as Smith’s 2018 record “All in My Mind.” The first and last tracks though are new studio work, both covers with Iggy Pop on vocals and Blue Note President Don Was producing. (Was also took that photo of the two up top.) A big part of the collaboration is that both Smith and Pop live in the Miami area now and Pop sat in on some of Smith’s live shows.

The first song on “Breathe” is Timmy Thomas’ “Why Can’t We Live Together.” Even if you don’t know the tune, it’ll sound familiar because Drake sampled it for “Hotline Bling.” Here’s the final track on the record, Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman.” Iggy Pop is in the crooner mode he’s progressed to over the last decade. The song’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a lot of fun.

It’s a rainy Sunday here in Orlando, so I’m staying dry, hunting for the cat when thunder hits, and diving into England Dan & John Ford Coley.  I think the song most folks know best is 1976’s “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight.” I’ll admit I was one of those folks who thought they were singing “I’m not talking ’bout the linen” even before screenwriter Shane Black called us out in  “The Long Kiss Goodnight.”

And to prove it, here’s a live version from “The Midnight Special” where you can clearly hear “I’m not talkin’ ’bout movin’ in.”

Continue reading

I’ve been sitting on this one for a while because it’s the perfect example of thinking you know who’s singing that song you’ve heard a million times. “Rock Me Gently” has that flawless Neil Diamond vibe – a voice that both belts and croons, cornball lyrics, a Brill Building level of pop songcraft … but that’s not Neil Diamond. It’s Canadian singer/songwriter Andy Kim.

1974’s “Rock Me Gently” was Kim’s only #1 in the US, but he’s not a one-hit wonder either. Kim had a total of six other songs in the Top 40 between 1968 and 1974. “Baby, I Love You” got to #9 and “Be My Baby” hit #17 – both covers of hits originally by The Ronettes. Kim sings both of those in a higher register than “Rock Me Gently,” although he could have raided Neil Diamond’s closet for this TV appearance.

Continue reading