
Donny Hathaway: Jealous Guy (Live) [1972] "I was dreamin' of the past..." Could this be the best Lennon cover? Just a year after the song's release on Imagine, Hathaway must have felt a strong pull to do this on his own terms; to make this song his own. His arrangement brings with it a freight train of sincerity, soul and emotional baggage to bring the house down. When he's 'shivering inside' you know his heart's breaking right in front of you. When it takes two syllables just to sing 'cry' at the 2 minute [...]
When it comes to soul music, sometimes I think we love the dead more than the living. Of course, when it comes to the sweet deliciousness of a moving soul song, it may be as simple as wanting what we can't have any more. And with the most doomed of the soul singers, it seems like our longing goes much deeper. Yes, with their passing, we realize we'll never get another What's Going On. But it's

Donny Hathaway: Lord Help Me Previously unreleased, bonus track from Extension of a Man (Atlantic/Rhino, 1973). I have a secret dream that somewhere, in the vaults of Atlantic, sits dozens of unreleased Donny Hathaway songs like "Lord Help Me" and " What a Woman Really Means ." It's a good dream.
Last month I finally bought an "official" copy of Donny Hathaway's long bootlegged, import only, 1972 live album that was recorded here in L.A. at The Troubadour, and at The Bitter End in New York City. The German import is only sixteen greenbacks, and thanks to the internets, it's now readily available. But this was [...]

Soul Sides, Volume One 1. Charles May and Annette May Thomas: Keep My Baby Warm 2. Clarence Reid: Masterpiece 3. Lee Moses: Time and Place 4. Amanda Ambrose: Sad Songs 5. Erma Franklin: Piece of My Heart 6. Donny Hathaway: Jealous Guy 7. Linda Lyndell: What a Man 8. Jimmy Jones: Live and Let Live [...]

J.R. Bailey: After Hours + Love, Love, Love From J ust Me 'N' You (MAM, 1974) Donny Hathaway: Love, Love, Love From Extension of a Man (ATCO, 1973) Work has me running ragged of late. By the time I get home everyday, I'm burnt the hell out and personally, I feel like my posting ideas have been rather dull. If no one noticed, all the better, but I know for myself, when posting up Youtube videos [...]
HEY JUDE The Overton Berry Trio The Overton Berry Trio At Seattle's Doubletree Inn Jaro : 1970 Available on: Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest in Funk & Soul 1965-1975 Light in the Attic : 2004 [Buy It] DEAR PRUDENCE CRY BABY CRY Ramsey Lewis Mother Nature's Son Cadet : 1969 [Out of Print (except via iTunes)] TAXMAN Junior Walker Love Ain't Nothin But a Business Goin' [...]

After writing that last post on William Bell, I couldn’t help but add a note about one of favorite voices in soul music, Donny Hathaway. A little bit about him; Hathaway was born into a gospel household (his grandmother who raised him was the talented Martha Crumwell) and began singing at the age of three. Working with Curtis Mayfield and Roberta Flack, Hathaway’s career started out promisingly enough, but his often erratic behavior at times threatened his chances of making a name for himself. Diagnosed in 1973 with paranoid schizophrenia, other artists often noticed [...]

"Down Home Girl" by THE COASTERS: I had no idea when I started putting this post together that Tuwa's Shanty had their own post going about the Alvin Robinson version of this song. His post pretty much nails everything I love about this song, too, so you might as well head over there to download their track. The first time I ever heard any rendition of this Butler/Leiber song was on THE ROLLING STONES' cover-filled Now LP. The Stones' version is sexy, but The Coasters just lay the mack down on this mother. (BONUS TRACK: [...]