Before and After Silk Sonic
We truly put our all on this record, but Silk Sonic would like to gracefully, humbly and most importantly, sexually, bow out of submitting our album this year.
“Leave The Door Open” was the best song of 2021—the song went so far to sweep all four of the Grammy categories it was nominated for. I generally don’t give two damns about the Grammys, but it’s no small feat to nab Record of the Year while we were all still stuck at home and heavily plugged into personal media consumption as an escape from the on-going global panorama.
Still, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s collaboration managed to charm the hell out of the world with its reverence to vintage soul with a modern twist. For a lot of folks, it was the first time people really heard this kind of tribute to the kind of soul that was so genuinely influenced by Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Prince. While those influences loom large in modern music, pop music rarely employs this kind of dedication to emulating the sound the way that Silk Sonic did.
Despite the fact that Silk Sonic may be the most popular group to showcase this vintage soul sound, they’re certainly not the first to do this, and I hope that they won’t be the last. In the meantime, while we wait and see if Silk Sonic reunites again or if another musical act manages to employ a similar sound with similar impact, I propose that these materials may scratch that itch into modern takes into classic soul.
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - “Inspiration Information”
Spotify - Apple Music - Tidal
Let’s start with one of the best acts to popularize modern vintage soul. The late, great Sharon Jones, and the all-star band, The Dap-Kings, put their own spin on this Shuggie Otis classic back in 2009 for the compilation album, Dark Was The Night. For me, this stands out for not just being a great soulful cover of an already soulful song, but that it’s a great example of how SJDK, typically known for its upbeat dance floor burners, could manage to slow it down without sacrificing their trademark sound.
The Resonaires - “Standing With You”
Spotify - Apple Music - Tidal
This song occupies the same spiritual space as Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open”, given its sweeping and cinematic underpinnings. Beyond the similar vibe, one of the more subtle parts of this song that I particularly enjoy is the duet between lead singer Saundra Williams and the fuzz guitar played by Vincent John. So much of soul is call-and-response, and that’s what make’s “Leave The Door Open” shine, and that’s what makes this song shine the same way. It’s the call-and-response between Saun and the guitar, the back-up singers and Saun, it’s even established in the opening chords between the French horns and the lead guitar. My call is for you to give this song a spin. This is the song that opened a recent 45rpm record set focused on soul and soul revival.
Say She She - “Forget Me Not”
Spotify - Apple Music - Tidal
Let’s swing into the funkier side of soul revival. Say She She is a seven-piece funk band fronted by a trio of women. The band name itself is a reference to Nile Rodgers’ legendary disco band, Chic—which is all to say, the septet wears their inspirations on their sleeves. Here, the trio’s vocals are well-balanced with the solid bass groove, the organ plinks that pepper the song, as well as a killer flute solo during the breakdown. Soul revival has variety, and this track is but one example of that sonic diversity.
Mayer Hawthorne - “Back Seat Lover”
Spotify - Apple Music - Tidal
If you’re looking for a treasure trove of soul revival with a modern twist, Mayer Hawthorne (as well as his work with producer Jake One under the moniker Tuxedo) is probably the best next step to take after listening to An Evening With Silk Sonic however many times you’ve done so at this point. “Back Seat Lover” takes an equal amount of queues from blue-eyes soul yacht rock by the likes of Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, as well as 80s-era Prince. The coda toward the end, in particular, rings echoes of “I Wanna Be Your Lover”.
Night Owls ft. Destani Wolf - “Let’s Stay Together”
Spotify - Apple Music - Tidal
Covering a well-known soul classic like Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” is risky. Covering any particular classic carries the risk of sounding like a tired re-tread, being a little boring, or on the other end, going too damn far and trying too hard. In this case, Night Owls, a Long Beach, California-based reggae outfit, puts their own balanced spin on the track. Possibly, the key here, was to replace the iconic horns with keys and organs and honestly, just do their own damn thing. Soul music has a rich history of doing covers—Aretha’s “Respect” is a cover. We’re all just paying tribute to the stuff we love.
This is really just a start. I think I’ll plan on doing soul revival showcases every Friday or Saturday. That said, we’ll definitely get back at it next week with a similar energy. I’ll plan on posting about 3 or 4 times a week. Sometimes with a theme, sometimes not. We’ll at least categorize these posts under Soul Revival Showcase for easier reference in the future.
In a few days, I’ll go over my playlist building process and go over a handful of the songs for my DJ set over at Speck’s Records & Tapes—which is happening tomorrow at 12pm.