
I must confess that I find it hard to mourn the death of Amy Winehouse. Don't think of me as a man possessed of a callous heart. Of course the death of a young, talented woman is a cause for sadness. But Ms Winehouse did not die in a tragic accident, as Otis Redding did, nor did a dread disease claim her, as it did Minnie Riperton. Amy Winehouse was a victim of her own excess; she lived a self-destructive lifestyle which first wounded her talent and then (as it appears) ended her life. My empathy is directed at her [...]

Yeah, I know, Valentine's Day is commercial and naff. All kinds of idiots will play Every Breath You Take or You're Beautiful or similar inappropriate to complement the overpriced roses. There is nothing wrong, of course, with letting music doing your talking, but nothing declares love as sloppily as a badly chosen song. To be clear, Perfect Day and fucking With Or Without You are about love, but not in a romantic sense. Here is the first part of a few songs which, I think, do a good job of expressing romantic love, or talking about being in requited love. [...]
You know what it is, soul children---so let's do the damn thing... "Soul Man" --- Rico Rodriguez (zShare) "Soul Man" --- Rico Rodriguez (savefile) *Written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter ; originally performed by Sam & Dave * Hayes was inspired to write the song while watching television news coverage of the 12th Street Riot in Detroit, which began on July 23, 1967. He was particularly moved by the fact that many black business [...]
A Century in Jumps (Slight Return) 1967 John Lennon, Good Morning, Good Morning (demo). Dusty Springfield, What's It Gonna Be. Laura Lee, Dirty Man. The Techniques, Queen Majesty. Delia Derbyshire, Chromophone Band. The Nice, Azrial (Angel of Death). Fantastic Johnny C, Boogaloo Down Broadway. Anna Karina, Pistolet Jo. Gilberto Gil, Roda. Quarteto Novo, Vim de Sant'Ana. Joe Tex, Show Me.

This month's WFMU DJ mp3 collection is Monica's stunning "Feelin' Bitchy" from 2005, featuring the awe-inspiring Feelin' Bitchy Monologue Medley , (mp3) produced by the one and only Steinski. (14 mp3s below) Here's how Monica tagged it for the '05 FMU marathon: A sassy stash of 60s and 70s soul sisters bust out the baddest and bitchiest man-eating monologues, raunchy raps and "tell it like it is" tracks. Dedicated to the fine art of homewreckin', heartbreakin', and all other manner of down [...]