Written by Stevie Wonder/Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax and definitively recorded by The Queen of Soul this might be one of my favorite recordings from that 1970′s wellspring of Soul known as Atlantic Records. I love the Funk Brothers, Booker T. Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Al Jackson Jr., and Muscle Shoals backing bands as much as anyone but the folks that show up on some of those Atlantic recording dates like this one… (more…)

“Love Man” legend has it that when he came on the scene in the year that the original hit the chart that the mother of the “Love Man” deemed that somehow this song was written for her new baby (sappy, I know). But I figured that this would be a very timely song (considering manana is the Love Man’s B-day) and this could feature our AOM and his prowess in covering a song. Enjoy!

Just a quick little commentary on something that has been on my mind for a minute… I was inspired to write this post because I have been giving a lot of thought to why some music after it receives its initial adulation sometimes can receive a negative connotation as soft, sappy or less than. Listen, I love hard rocking three chord montys as much as the next person, but I also love beautiful melodies, lush harmonies and productions that ooze sophistication. (more…)

I believe it was Mr. Stevie Wonder who once said that you don’t want Luther Vandross to remake your song. This is because when Luther Vandross remakes your song, he takes that remake and turns into his own song and improves upon it. No Luther remake is more well known than his rendition of The Carpenter’s “Superstar”.

A little known fact is that The Carpenters actually remade the track themselves. The very first version of the song was recorded by the duo Delaney and Bonnie. The song was written by Leon Russell, and was originally called “Groupie (Superstar)” in reference to the lives of the fans who follow musicians on the road. “Superstar” is the closing track of Luther’s 1983 album Busy Body, and it is definite proof of saving the best for last.

If you’re curious, here’s the original, more uptempo version:

Of course, you can count on Amazon.com to have the original Busy Body cd still available. For a retrospective of Luther’s hits, “Superstar” is also part of the 2 cd “Best of Luther” set.

Many moons ago when I first got hip to you tube, this was one of the first videos I watched(over and over). Since it’s late September so many folks are in full school mode and watching this video feels like something that would be great content for a lecture on how to be a badazz musician.