Music month: I know you got soul

It's supposed to be music month here at G:TB. But I haven't seen much about music. And the music-related stuff is pretty, well, soulless. So I'm dropping four relatively new vintage-style soul albums for you to go cop via whatever means it is you cop your music.

This blog appears to consist primarily of youtube clips and jokes about Geoff's sexual orientation. So I pasted four youtubes below. There was a fifth youtube, in which Geoff admits that he wishes he was either Richard Gere's pet gerbil or Butch Coolidge's gold watch, but I didn't include it because I don't want to out Geoff on the internet.

1. Mayer Hawthorne, "A Strange Arrangement"

I told you to go get this before it came out, and now it's out so you should go get it. Some upbeat, happy, soulful joy. The coolest breakup song ever. Ambivalent love songs. Ballads weighing the pros and cons of dating greedy bitches. Who doesn't want to see some of this?



2. Lee Fields and The Expressions, "My World"

Lee Fields has been around forever. I don't know when he picked up The Expressions, but it works. This album has sad songs, a funky instrumental, and music to make love to your old lady by.



3. Raphael Saadiq, "The Way I See It"

Remember Tony! Toni! Tone!? Well one of those Tony/i/e muhfuggas is really named Raphael Saadiq. He uses an old-school sound with new-school lyrics and swagger. It works, as long as you can block the whole Tony! Toni! Tone! thing out of your head.



4. Daptone 7 Inch Singles Collection Vol. 2

Geoff will be excited to see that there's a "volume 2" to "7 Inch Singles," because he loved the first volume on DVD. But in this case, it's a reference to records that are 7 inches in diameter, not a movie about single guys with 7 inch members. Sorry Geoff .

Daptone Records is a label you should get to know. It's how I discovered Lee Fields. This album has songs of heartbreak, Meters-inspired instrumentals, and something called "Che Che Cole" by Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra that I can't categorize. It's all good.