Brooke and the Nice Things

Real Chicago Soul

[brookeandthenicethings]

http://www.andersonville.org/events/midsommarfest/

Come join us!!! It is street festival season party people!!!

[brookeandthenicethings]

New Alabama Shakes. 

[brookeandthenicethings]

Mike Farris, Memphis born, church raised, soul-blues-honky-tonk singer. Listen to that inflection...Al Green anyone? Hear the pain? He’s seen his share of troubles.

His grammy winning new album: Shine for All the People is fantastic. http://www.mikefarrismusic.com

You are not likely to see a better live vocal performance. Outside a BnTNT show that is. ;) He took over for Stevie in Double Trouble when Stevie passed. And he is no slouch at guitar either.

Here he is doing his version of the great JB Lenoir’s “The Whale has Swallowed Me.”

Here’s a live cut of the original with the great Freddy Below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azt0s4lLhTs

And the album cut with Freddy and Willie Dixon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq-rW3aww-A

[brookeandthenicethings]

Wow. What a voice. Bringing Sam into the twenty-teens. Love the tape distortion. Love the feel. Love the voice.

Grab your loved one. Get close. Move those feet. Yea! Feel the love.

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This is hot...wow! When was the last time you heard production values used this well?

The band is tight. The sound is tight. The performance is tight. This will put bodies of the floor. Better not sit down. This is a groove that will make you fall out of your chair. Mark Ronson is channeling Niles Rodgers here too.

Love it.

[brookeandthenicethings]

More Brookelyn based Afro-Soul from Ikebe Shakedown. Their new album is Stone by Stone.

http://www.ikebeshakedown.com/

[brookeandthenicethings]

More great Alabama Soul from another Alabama band: the Alabama Shakes. This track "Always Alright" was not on their debut album but hopefully it will show up on their sophomore effort. Though you may recognize the track from the move Silver Lining Playbook.

[brookeandthenicethings]

These Alabama boys are doing it up right. Want your muscular soul? Get it right here. Their new album Half the City is very good. Their sold-out show at Chicago's Metro last Thursday killed.

[brookeandthenicethings]

The Budos Band has a new album out: Burnt Offering. This one has a slightly different feel than their previous offerings (sorry). More fuzzed out guitars here, a slightly psychedelic feel. The visual aesthetic is certainly different.

Kudos to Daptone though for keeping interesting music in circulation.

[brookeandthenicethings]

Here are the Funk Brothers again (Marvin and Motown's studio band). No dig against Stevie's singing here but it is something to just hear the band work this groove out. 

This re-mixed version is cool because it really brings out the band's brilliant playing. 

[brookeandthenicethings]

See previous post below.

Here Marvin takes a 6/8 blues and turns it inside out. I'm dancing...I can't help myself.

[brookeandthenicethings]

Sometimes there is a reason why tracks are not released. Poorly written, poorly played, poorly recorded, etc. That is not the case for more than a few of the songs on the Marvin Gaye Album: Love Starved Heart. All unreleased tracks from Motown and many of them are stellar. Including some cuts that turn out to be among Gaye's best ever. 

Witness this track "Desperate Situation": say this isn't one of the coolest tracks you've hear in a while.

More to come.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-starved-heart-rare-and-unreleased-mw0000231914

[brookeandthenicethings]

James Brown gives you dance lessons. Yes please.

Soul music is dance music. Get it done.

[brookeandthenicethings]

Newest single and video from Lee Field and the Expression latest album, "Just Can't Win."

Instant awesome.

http://leefieldsandtheexpressions.com

http://truthandsoulrecords.com

[brookeandthenicethings]

There are reasons why albums are considered classics. But sometimes artists and their work become such household names that they are taken for granted. 

For example, when was the last time you listened to "Inner City Blues" by Marvin Gaye? It is off the What's Going On album and is attached above. 

The song is a monster. Great groove, great performances, great lyrics. Yet, it flies under the radar right, under our noses.

Also, does anyone else hear two basses on this track?

More soulful goodness from the Funk Brothers at Motown backing up Marvin on this one.

[brookeandthenicethings]

Delightfully funny interview from a man who revolutionized soul and American music. Watch for more clips of the Godfather doin' his thang in future posts.

It is funny to watch him try to get serious when she asks about his gospel publication. 

[brookeandthenicethings]

This clip might be a little modern but it is included here to highlight a fascinating artist: Nile Rodgers.

Nile and his strat (affectionately called "The Hit Maker") are responsible for $2 billion in music made since the 70's. Yes, $2 billion. Few people have a had larger impact on American popular music in the last four decades.

Nile and his partner/bass player Bernard Edwards got their careers by establishing Chic. Chic has some of the most recognizable loops of all times. For example compare below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g79r90FHaAI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTUAESacQM

Besides working with his own band Chic (earlier) and Pharrell/Daft Punk (more recently), Nile has worked with an amazing group of people: Luther Vandross, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, INXS, Duran Duran, Grace Jones, Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood, and the B-52's among others.

For more on this amazing artist see this highly entertaining BBC documentary: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZJj-tgT6H0