Look Back In Anger: The haunting churn of this rare Doo Wop ballad is something to swoon us through the day. A choir of spirits croon behind the gentle tingle of a piano. Sleepily the drums drift along, as The Vibrations recount a tale of deep wallowing sadness. This sort of melody from the past reminds me of a dream I never had, where a mysterious box, tucked away in the attic, is dusted off to reveal a few faded reels of tape. The moon is low and the night-sky is filled with a shade of inky midnight blue. Late at night the old tape machine whirrs into life, and this ghostly ode to love-loss echoes through the rafters. Can you dig?
New dream ballad from TX Soul-groover Leon Bridges, simmers like the heat of Louisiana swamp. Do we need to keep referencing Sam Cooke with this dude? Probably, I mean, Bridges just completely nails that super smooth, Rockin' Back Inside My Heart meets You Send Me vibe we're all craving this slushy March. So kick back and let these warm chords wrap you up like a big bearskin rug. Lisa Sawyer:
Also here's his new vidoe for the single, Coming Home:
Look Back in Anger: This morning as I awoke to sheets of sleet blanketing the icy streets, I found the house was filled with a quiet chill. I checked the thermostat, put on a cup of Joe, splashed some water in my face. There was a sadness filling the world this morning, and it was a great task just to shift my body from one position to the next. What source of light could possibly be found in such a grey day? I stumbled through the creaking living room in a half daze. The Hifi system sat solemnly in the corner, like a great sarcophagus from the future inscribed with cryptic symbols from the past. As usual I had the dial pre-set to 88.3, Newark's number one stop for Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, and Soulful tunes that reach deep into your very being. I was very near the point of ending it all, until I flicked the switch.. and this, one melody, rose up from the speakers, and shook apart the heavy cloud of macabre funk, that hung above my head.
The Delfonics were one of those impossibly wonderful groups that rose from the Motown era. Filling their tracks with extraordinary orchestrations, vocal harmonies, and hook after hook, they produced a string of timeless hits from the 60s through the 70s. Didn't I is a creeping ballad, speckled with jarring transitions and a-typical chordal movements; yet The Delfonics skilfully navigate its narrows, easing the listener into a blissful state of comfort. Opening with Pet Sounds-like strings and closing with the pleading line, "Didn't I blow your mind this time, baby? Didn't I?..." 45 yrs after its release, my mind is still blown. Check out the boys performance on Soultrain, right here:
