I love this Song #7 Shelter From The Storm

Sometimes I tend dismiss Bob Dylan. Mainly because I listened to him as well as other unmentionable bands during that rebellious stoner faze some of us went through in our early teens. A time I try to forget. And believe me I do my best not to let any of the photos documenting my youth back then surface on Facebook. Embarrassing to say the least. I get reminded now and then of how great an artist he is. I was recently watching a new series on ABC called "Flashfoward" that included clips of this concert.


I recalled having this album recorded onto cassette years ago, and have since downloaded it to the ipod. Shelter From The Storm is a great song and this version is just bad ass. The whole album is I Love This Song worthy but Shelter gets the thumbs up this week. Enjoy!

I Love This Song #6 Tinariwen

Here's another great find courtesy of our fine friends at Honest Jon's Records. I can't say enough good things about this label/store. I've found them to be the "Criterion Collection" of music. Anything I've come across through my digital diggin' on their site is sure to be no less than amazing. This group is no different. Tinariwen is a band formed in 1982 of Tuareg people who had been conscripted into Muammar al-Gaddafi's army. They play in the Tishoumaren ("music of the unemployed") style, and sing mostly in the French and Tamashek languages. These two songs represent how diverse a sound this group has developed. Enjoy.

Cler Achel



Ikyadar Dim

I Love This Song # 5 Louise Mccord

Better Get A Move On. This song was included on Wattstax: The Living Word box set and Louise just rips it up. Unfortunately, I can't find much information out there about her. If anyone knows any thing or can point me in the right direction drop me an e-mail. Enjoy.

I love this Song #4 Menahan Street Band

I think it goes without saying that the guys at Daptone Records can't put out anything bad. This record is smokin'. The Menahan Street Band is a collaboration of musicians from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Dave Guy, Homer Steinweiss, Fernando Velez, Bosco Mann), El Michels Affair (Leon Michels, Toby Pazner), Antibalas (Nick Movshon, Aaron Johnson) and the Budos Band (Mike Deller, Daniel Fodder), brought together by musician/producer Thomas Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Budos Band, Amy Winehouse) to record hits in the bedroom of his Menahan St. apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. If you know anything about those four bands then you already have an idea of how funky this will be. There are two particular songs that are falling into my I Love This Song constant rotation. But don't get me wrong, the whole album is gonna make it's way there eventually. Enjoy.

Home Again



Tired Of Fighting

A Taste Of Ryan Adams

Many of my "I love this song" songs have been by Ryan Adams. It seems like I'm constantly playing something by him for just about any occasion. Ryan Adams is a tireless artist whose musical output is astonishing, not to mention his books and frequent ramblings on the Internet. This guy seems to always be releasing something new. I'm sure this won't be the last time I post something by or about Ryan, and I hope you don't become tired of them. I've included a few songs from a live show in Texas during the 2007 tour that just sit well with me on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

Please Do Not Let Me Go


Dear Chicago


Oh My God, Whatever


Dear John

I Love This Song #3 - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Record Store Day this year brought with it (literally) a bag full of goodies. Yes, I know it's been months since April 18th but I'm still finding little suprizes hidden in that bag. One of the vinyl purchases I made was a compilation called This LP Crashes Hard Drives.
The LP was limited to 2000 copies so I'm fortunate that I was able to score one. On it was a track by this amazing band out of Chi-Town called Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. That track (Marcus Garvey) lead me to do some digging and I of course came across much more by these guys that is just sick. So the past few days have been filled with this song (War), immediately followed by the required phrase, "I Love This Song". Hope you do to.

The Africadelica Mix : Reprised

This is a mix I did for my Brother's Blog HeavySoulBrutha's Put The Needle On The Record. Looking back through his blog recently, Dave saw this one and encouraged me to try my hands at my own blog and also post this mix again.



Fela Kuti is considered one of the pioneers of Afrobeat music and being introduced to his music, as well as being exposed to Sorry Bamba at a small concert at the gazebo in the park at Jardin Du Luxembourg in Paris, August of 1999, sent me in a new direction. I was forever enamored with African Soul music. Whilst it's hard to come by vinyl treasures of this genre here in the States, it has been easier to find this music through alternate sources. One of the best and most reliable has been the blog, Voodoo Funk - DJ Soulpusher's Africa "Digging" Travels. I first heard Soulpusher on Downtown Soulville with Mr. Fine Wine. If you haven't checked out Voodoo Funk, you're missing something soulful and organic. Frank has put his life on the line diggin' for hidden treasures in Africa. His posts are a constant source of "Hey, you gotta hear this song, it's amazing" moments. Another good source has been Dusty Groove. Their Global Grooves section has been a great way to do some digital diggin'. All the best Michael.

The Africadelic Mix!

The Tunes
01. Africadelic - Manu Dibango
02. Just A Moment - George Danquah
03. Afro Beat Blues - Hugh Maskela & Ojah
04. Love's A Real Thing - Super Eagles
05. Porry - Sorry Bamba
06. Fever - Jingo
07. Black Man's Cry - Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 w/Ginger Baker
08. Onukpa Shawarpo - Bokoor Band
09. Diarabi - Orchestra Baobab
10. Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'awu - K Frimpong And His Cubano Fiestas
11. Serengeti Stroke - The Pan-Atlantics
12. Keleya - Moussa Doumbia
13. La Popo - Guerilla
14. Talkin' Talkin' - Matada

I Love This Song #2 - Angela Desveaux

Came across this one by chance whilst downloading some mp3s after purchasing an album from another artist on the same label. I'm impressed by most of the smaller labels as they seem to have really given this thing some thought. People love albums and ipods. Offering them a free download if they buy the album seems like an honorable way to do business. If you love vinyl as much as I do you'll agree.

Enjoy!

Angela Desveaux's cover of Let Me Roll It is included as a download when purchasing her latest 7" If I Ever Loved . Not that I haven't listened to the original version of this song many times, but Angela definitely brings a great blend of country and rock to the track. I urge you to check out her other originals as they'll more than likely become one of your "I Love This Song" songs.

I Love This Song #1 - Matata

"I Love This Song" is going to be one of the features of the blog. Often I'll find myself at work, in the car or at home listening to one song over and over. Sometimes It'll be two or three times in a row or perhaps several times throughout the day. When I do, I inevitably find myself thinking, "I LOVE THIS SONG". What better way to start this thing off than by throwing down one of those songs?
Enjoy.

Matata found their way onto the London scene by way of Kenya in the 70's. Combining a sound somewhere between American soul and Afro-beat, Matata's skilled musicians came together to create some of the funkiest music ever. This track comes from their album Feelin' Funky.