Bay Area Peeps: Wonderfull - This Saturday @ Mezzanine with DJ Spinna & Bobbito and more

I've been meaning to get to one of these Wonderfull events since I first heard about it years ago back in NYC and for some stupid reason I just have never been able to make it, but this time I'm gonna break the curse and get my ass down to Mezzanine this weekend. And in honor of that I have some of my favorite Stevie Maravilha (his Brazilian nickname) deep cuts and cover tunes for your listening pleasure. Also, check out P-R-O-P-S radio for a killer set of Wonderfullness. Not much on commentary here and no albums covers (too many songs here and it's busy here at work), so just hit play on the yahoo media player and Stevie and friends take you on a trip through music of Stevie's mind . . .

Stevie Wonder - Christmas Greeting
Couldn't pass this one up given the time of year. I want a whole album of keyboard based Christmas funk from 'Lil Drummer Stevie.

Stevie Wonder - Love a Go-Go
This is one of the first album track/deep cuts that I sought out and as a result was even further inspired by the breadth and depth of Stevie's genius. I think this was big in the UK/Norther Soul thang . . .


Syreeta - I Love Everything About You
Possibly my favorite Stevie version ever . . . and all-time favorite song. period. when I first got this album I listened to this one track on repeat for two days straight. seriously.

Tamiko Jones - Creepin'
Who woulda thought you could fuck with Stevie & Minnie dueting on the original version? I'm not saying it's better, but its damn good!

Ray Charles - Living For the City
The most recent Steviania acquisition . . . so dope. Nobody (aside from Stevie) does Fender Rhodes so nasty and raw as "The Genius".

Ellen McIlwaine - Higher Ground
By far those most left-field cut here . . . you can't deny Ms. McIlwaine's mastery of this song. The way she does it, you can imagine that she wrote it. For me, this speaks to the universality of Stevie's tunes.

Main Ingredient - Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
Main Ingredient have a long history of doing Stevie tunes, but this has got to be my favorite.

Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Live)
A somewhat rare early-seventies live recording from an Jazz/R&B festival from 1974. I posted the whole album awhile back, but have since taken the songs down.

Sister Sledge - As
I can't say this holds a flame to the original, but it's such a great song that I could tolerate some less than perfect cover versions. This one is from the Sisters Sledge right before their Chic-produced breakout album. This one was recorded in Germany with the masterminds behind Silver Convention, Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay.

Laso - Another Star
Here we have a latin instrumental take on another Songs in the Key of Life classic. Laso was a Joe Bataan side project that sounds very much like an MFSB or Vince Montana release from the same time. New York Latin Disco, Yeah!

The Gary Byrd Experience - The Crown (Instrumental)
I feel a bit like a racist posting the instrumental version of this song and by default ommitting the social-conscious lyrics of Prof. Gary Byrd, but honestly his rap sucks and the best part about this song is the "Good Times"-esque bass line and Stevie's one verse about 1/2 way in. He just kills it!

Stevie Wonder - All I Do
Thanks to my brother Charlie for hipping me to this tune early on. I honestly thought Stevie was done with Songs in the Key of Life until I heard this joint. This is some superb soulful mid-tempo disco. I forgot to bring it, but I also love the previously unreleased version of Syreeta doing this tune from back in the late 60s in a straight-up Motown cookie-cutter formula (and I don't mean that in a bad way) cause it sounds like a totally different song in that style, tempo and from a female perspective.

Stevie Wonder - Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away
My favorite sleeper Stevie track from Fullfillingness First Finale. This is the kind of religious music I can get down to.

Christmas Songs That Don't Suck

Jamie, the woman formerly known as my girlfriend and now known as my fiance/beyonce, LOVES her some x-mas music. It was almost a deal-breaker when she admitted as much after I caught her singing along to the 24hr x-mas music radio station during our first holiday season as a couple. But as all healthy couples do, we found a compromise.

We can listen to holiday music together beginning the day after Thanksgiving, but she humors me by letting me pick the music (most of the time). Now, this is where the challenge comes in, because even some of my favorite musicians have made horrible x-mas records; or more accurately, most of my favorite musicians wouldn't be caught dead rehashing the x-mas cannon, or god-forbid contribute an original tune to the bloated roster of yule tunes. But I persevere . . . and with tongue firmly planted in cheek, embark on a mission to bring you some Christmas songs that don't suck.

Stevie Wonder - Christmas Greeting
This is a greeting recorded by Stevie in his 70s keyboard phase (clearly). He probably didn't even rehearse this and just freestyle busted it out . . .





National Lampoon - Kung Fu Christmas
This is the real gem in this batch. Big-ups to Mike in Seattle for tipping me off to this one. I don't know much about the National Lampoon LPs, but this guy does. Most importantly, it was written by National Lampoon Radio Hour regular Christopher Guest and Paul Shaffer. Watching/listening to this video also gives the longer intro to give you a sense of how this song was situated on the album.


















Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
Now this one might be overplayed, but I still love it. Its probably one of the best recent additions to the Christmas cannon and I don't care what the rest of you say. Knowing that Paul was probably stoned to the bone from smoking too much mistletoe also makes it more enjoyable to listen to. I wrote a piece in Wax Poetics (issue 31) about another song from this same recording session. Blog entry here. Actual pdf of article here.

Dreaming of a (Al) Green Christmas . . .

And listening to the gentle tinkling of Jingle (William) Bell(s). Enough of the horrible puns, already and on to some more excellent soulful Christmas songs. My girlfriend cannot get enough of the Christmas music, so being the dutiful boyfriend that I am, when thinking of what LP to put on the Hi-Fi I keep coming back to the "Soul Christmas" album from whence the wonderful "Merry Christmas, Baby" by Otis was taken. We were listening to it last night and it sunk in just how good this William Bell song is.



Download: Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
William Bell is one of those lesser-known soul singers of the Southern/Memphis variety that is often overlooked because of his subtlety. He wasn't a shouter like Otis or a screamer like the Godfather or a velvet-voiced crooner like the honorable Rev. Al Green, but in recent years there has been renewed interest in his tunes, particularly the heartbreaking, "I Forgot to be Your Lover" which was sampled by someone notable and comped on O-Dub's "Soul Sides Vol. 1" This song is so subtle it must have taken me five listens before I had to exclaim aloud, "Damn, that's a great song," to which my girlfriend replied, "yay, for christmas songs."



Download: What Christmas Means To Me
My brother bought me this Al Green Christmas tape a few years back. Yes, a cassette tape and yes, it was only a few years ago. My brother likes tapes and having a car myself, I can appreciate tapes because my car has a tape-deck, not a CD player or a DVD surround-sound entertainment system. So, come the holiday season there is only one Christmas tape in my collection, which means its a "Green Christmas" in my car all season long. This is a bit dated in its 80s production, but as far as another modern Christmas classic, I think it's up there and Al Green has to try pretty hard to mess up anything.

As for the Brazilian Christmas songs, they are coming tomorrow. However, I realized to my chagrin that I don't have one of the songs I was hoping to post: "Jingle Black" by Gerson King Combo. If anyone else out there has it on MP3, hit me up on email and I will get it posted.

Christmas in heaven with James, Donny & Otis

Since freshman year in college there has been only one legitimate soundtrack to Christmas: James Brown's Funky Christmas. Every year around this time I dig out this CD and throw it on the ipod of boombox for all holiday functions. For someone who doesn't really like holiday music this compilation is superb. James Brown cranked out Christmas singles throughout his career but it sounds like most of these songs came from the late sixties and early seventies, arguably his best era. Most of the songs are great, but the two I have picked for you here are my favorites.


Download: Christmas Is Love
I remember rediscovering this song just last year as I was running last-minute errands before getting on my flight to Portland, not knowing that within 24 hours The Godfather would be passing from this world. I love the arrangement. How big and bold it is with dramatic horns and crashing symbols. Like some of the best Christmas songs it's celebratory and over the top.



Download: Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto
This tune is just pure James Brown. Nobody else could (or would) record a song so boldly pro-ghetto at this time and have it come off as just as classy as a rerecording of any olde Christmas standard.



Download: Merry Christmas, Baby
Recently I picked up this "Soul Christmas" album from Atlantic records which might just rival the James Brown album for all-time best Christmas album. I know everyone's heard it already, but this Otis Redding classic just can't be beat for modern Christmas classic.



Download: This Christmas
Donny Hathaway's Christmas classic is another modern Christmas classic that has made the cut to get on nearly every Christmas playlist and for good reason too!

By the end of the week I'll have some Brazilian Christmas tunes headin' your way . . . "Jingle Black" anyone?