SOME NEW MUSIC FOR MLK DAY 01/16/2012
 Happy Martin Luther King Day, y'all. As you may know, if you frequent this space, MLK Day is one of my favorite holidays on the calendar. Sure, this is a House of Christmas, but Stubby has plenty of love for the music of other holidays and occasions. You can always find more Martin Luther King music by clicking on the Mlk Day link in our "categories" list to the right and, well, the Fa is doing some maintenance right now, but there's always the Music For Martin thread over at Imwan. And both Paste and Billboard have lists of their own, today, of some of the best and most memorable musical tributes to Dr. King. Let's see what new discoveries we can find for my--I of course mean your--Martin Luther King, Jr. music library. Fold is a UK based collective of socially conscious Trip Hop artists and I really like what they've done on their "debut" EP "We Must Speak". The technique of using Dr. King's words and speeches in the mix has, frankly, been done to death at this point. But that doesn't mean some creative person can't come along and do it so well that they simply can't be ignored. Fold has done that, here, on the title track and on the other MLK piece "A Revolution Of Values". (I haven't yet had the chance to check out the tracks featuring the other luminaries.) "We Must Speak", in particular, has a nice, gritty and bluesy feel to it and also manages to convey a part of Dr. King's message. If they had been making Trip Hop records in the late sixties, they probably would have sounded very much like this one. "We Must Speak" is offered up as a "name your price" item through Bandcamp, but it's also available worldwide through Amazon and iTunes and Spotify, and fully three-quarters of all profits earned will go to actually making a positive difference in the world via Kiva (which looks like a really cool organization) and The Tax Justice Network. So at least stop and think a bit before you reflexively enter "0" in the little box.  One of the biggest names stepping forward this year with a song appropriate for Martin Luther King Day is Allison Crowe who, back in July, released a two-sided single pairing her original "Arthur" with that great MLK inspired song "Up To The Mountain", written by Patty Griffin and previously performed by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Susan Boyle, and Crystal Bowersox. This one's not free, but Allison's typically wonderful performance of The MLK Song is easily worth the 99 cents it will cost you at Amazon. Or, better yet, get both tracks through Bandcamp for $1.49--roughly 75 cents per song (a la carte, "Up To The Mountain" is 89 cents at Bandcamp). OK, in the earlier version of this posting, I seem to have confused Sheree Brown with Sherree Brown. I'm still not sure if these are the same person or two different people (though, more and more, I suspect the latter). So forget everything I said below and just watch the video of "We Shall Overcome/We Can Change A Lot Of Things".  Sherree Brown (formerly Sherree Ford-Payne) has been kickin' it for years, having sung with everyone from the great Nancy Wilson on up through Whitney Houston and Idol contemporaries like Kelly Clarkson. She's frequently written and recorded with Patrice Rushen. Sherree is a Dove Award winner and her music frequently turns up in movie soundtracks. And, hey, she also had a Christmas record (released in 2009), so you know we're fans at Stubby's. This medley of "We Shall Overcome/We Can Change A Lot Of Things" caught my ear because it's upbeat and so much of the music inspired by MLK can be dour. The video is newly released and, right now, the medley doesn't seem to be available (free or otherwise), but then again Sherree is about 6 days away from unveiling her redesigned website so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can enjoy this video or this one, if you prefer.  There's been a lot of controversy over the drum major "quote" used on the Martin Luther King Memorial that was dedicated in 2011. King famously had said "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter." By rewriting King's words to "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness", supporters like Maya Angelou argued that the statue's creators made the Reverend "sound like an arrogant twit". The quotation on the Memorial, it has been announced, will be changed or corrected (and appropriately so, imho). Before the controversy, however, Freddie Horstmann recorded a song referencing King's original quote. "MLK" is featured on Horstmann's 2-track single "A Drum Beat For Righteousness". The bluesy flip-side "Blues Man" is also an appropriate track for Martin Luther King Day. I dig the chorus on the latter, which has a bit of a stripped down Jim Morrison and the Doors feel, though I haven't made up my mind on that song as a whole. As for "MLK", I like it a lot (even though, again, the devise of using King actualities is getting old). It's a socially conscious Folk Rock tune from the Los Angeles based artist. If nothing else, you can see through this song why altering King's original quote completely changed it's meaning and intent. You can get both songs for free on Bandcamp.  Billy Grisack writes and sings Rock and Roll music for kids as Mr. Billy. Speaking as an adult, he's actually pretty good at finding that musically sweet spot that can hold the attention of both the young and not-so-young (though I suspect those in their late teens and early twenties won't be making up Billy's core audience anytime soon). This past year, we kind of missed Billy's Christmas album, so we'll toss in a mention of "It's Christmas Everywhere!" here (I recommend "Jingle Hop", if you're interested). Mr. Billy is fairly prolific and a lot of his gigs, no doubt, are holiday centric. So it's really no surprise that a Martin Luther King track is on the way. You can currently stream "He Had A Dream" at Soundcloud or using the widget above, but you won't actually be able to acquire it until Billy releases "Rock And Roll All Night" later this year. Good to know, though, because...again...upbeat.  Always looking for something new and different, here's an excellent original piece from JAH Boogie, a Roots Reggae artist fronting the Madison, Wisconsin band Natty Nation. You might wonder how authentic a Reggae band from America's heartland can be. Listen to "Civil Rights" and I think you'll agree the answer is "pretty darn authentic". This one's a Bandcamp freebie and you won't even need an email address--instant download all the way. Yah mon.  New Jersey's DJ Daveed Martinez has posted a nice House mix of "Penso In Ti" for free download on Soundcloud. Martin Luther King has previously inspired some classic House music--most notably Mr. Fingers' "Can You Feel It? (I Have A Dream Remix)". "Penso In Ti" has a very nice Smooth Jazz feel and should be accessible to folks not usually predisposed to House music. And, you know, free. That's always good. I should probably mention that this download is a "wav" file.  I love Daniel D. Daniel D. is sort of this generation's Jean-Luc Ponty...making the violin super cool once again. Daniel's music includes Jazz, Hip Hop, Gospel, straight up R&B... Honestly, anybody who thinks the violin is only for classical, country and cajun needs to lend their ears to Daniel D. For Martin Luther King Day 2012, Daniel D. recorded a fairly straight forward but nonetheless moving rendition of "We Shall Overcome" in tribute to the slain Civil Rights leader. About the only place you'll find it, right now, is CD Baby and it'll run you $1.29. You should also check out "The Dream Today" from the 2010 release "Serenade". 2012 will see the induction of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech into the Grammy Hall of Fame (it was released on 20th Century Fox records in 1963), so we'll leave you with that one today. Take a moment or two today, and every day, to think about Dr. King's messages of peace, equality, brotherhood, solidarity, justice and more. Peace, y'all. CommentsHappy Martin Luther King Day, indeed! Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply | About usI love Christmas, music, and cats. What more do you need to know? FestiveFriendsFaLaLaLaLa ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll  |
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