“The Foreign Exchange — the vocalist/producer brainchild of Phonte (Coleman) and Nicolay (Matthijs Rook) — has always moved somewhat outside of its time.
Amid the radio eminence of early 2000s hip-hop, it was an online chat room where the North Carolina emcee and the Netherlands-based producer first linked on the then-budding hiphop superfan site Okayplayer,” (Super Empty). “Their transatlantic file sharing led to a cheekily named 2004 LP, Connected, before the two ever even met on the same continent — one of the first albums to be co-created remotely over the Internet.”
Released on the duo’s 2013 album Love in Flying Colors, “Right After Midnight” begins in Db mixolydian. At 0:58, the pre-chorus hits, alternating lines in Bb major and Bb minor. The chorus enters at 1:17 with a return to the original key; the pattern continues from there. Phonte alternates rapping with singing on many of the group’s tracks, but this track is 100% driven by melody, with a prominent support role by vocalist Sy Smith.
“‘Got to Get You Into My Life,’ from 1978’s soundtrack to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, (is) a stroke of genius; the horns are over the top, and the Fire slick up the original, playing it at a faster tempo and in general kicking the ass of the original,” (The Vinyl District). “Phillip Bailey (falsetto) and Maurice White (tenor) swap vocals, White plays the kalimba (or African thumb piano), and the guitarist wails, and what you’ve got is one perky slice of eminently likable funk, lightweight division.”
“The Los Angeles-based funk band were enjoying a run of hits when impresario Robert Stigwood invited them to appear in a movie based around Beatles songs (Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band),” (Financial Times). Their leader, Maurice White, smelled a turkey but, having sifted through The Beatles’ catalogue, thought ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’ had crossover potential. He signed EW&F up, recorded the song in an afternoon and insisted it be released prior to the film (in 1978).
It was a wise move, as the film and its double LP soundtrack tanked to such an extent that it hampered the careers of its stars (Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees) while EW&F scored a huge US hit — their version, with its bright horns, disco shimmy and loose, funky ebullience, remains a club classic today. In White’s autobiography he says word reached him that McCartney considers EW&F’s version his favorite ever Beatles cover.”
The track features a (relatively!) soft-spoken intro in G minor featuring a complex hook (first stated at the very top of the track and returning throughout). The tune gets started in earnest at 1:02 with a shift to a verse in G major and a jump into a different groove. There’s a return to minor at 2:14, then a return of that hook, followed by a visit back to major for an instrumental verse featuring a short guitar solo at 2:45. At 3:13, we return back to minor for the balance of the tune.
” … The Supremes—all three members—all close together (on the album cover) and looking happy, instead of cheap artwork like on the last two LPs because Motown couldn’t bother to put the ladies together and waste Diana Ross’s time,” (Soulfinger). ” And not only did Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, and new member Jean Terrell take a picture together, they also got to work together in the studio! No Supremes album since The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (released three years earlier) had the Supremes singing every song on a Supremes album.
As for the music itself, this album is by no means groundbreaking. The ‘new’ (Diana-free) Supremes would never be trendsetters. This LP is an excellent case of how a group, songwriters, and producers can exist in a moment, assess the situation, and produce some high quality music that simultaneously evokes a particular point in time without being trapped by the gimmicks of that point in time.
Simply put, Right On is an album that clearly sounds like it was made in 1970 but is not trapped by being made in 1970. It was also a solid seller reaching #4 on the R&B album chart and #25 on the pop register.” One of the singles from the album, ‘Everybody’s Got the Right to Love,'” is “obviously playing off the various social movements of the late 1960s demanding greater freedom and rights for marginalized Americans … “
Built around an easy 12/8 groove, the tune is initially built in F major. A whole-step shift upward to G major hits suddenly at 1:30. The tune certainly didn’t match the group’s previous single, “Up the Ladder to the Roof,” but it reached #11 on the US R&B charts and #25 on the Pop chart. Written by Lou Stallman, the tune was released by Motown in 1970.
“Sam + Dave electrified audiences with livewire performances, blending gospel-rooted vocal interplay and exhilarating stage presence,” (Stax Records). Their music pulsed with energy, driven by the call-and-response firepower of Sam Moore and Dave Prater. However, their voices alone weren’t enough to define their legacy — it took the songwriting brilliance of Stax’s Isaac Hayes and David Porter to tailor anthems that matched the duo’s intensity as performers.
… in 1967, ” … the United States was facing heightened racial tensions, culminating in the Detroit riots in July. As Isaac Hayes watched television coverage of the destruction, he noticed something: Black-owned businesses, marked with the word soul, were left untouched by looters. In a moment of strife, the word, to Black Detroiters in the know, was a covert symbol of solidarity, encouraging protection for Black businesses in the community. Hayes and Porter knew they had a pervasive concept to work with, shaping ‘Soul Man,’ deriving a personified embodiment of the phenomenon in Detroit. Porter built the lyrics around this idea, creating a protagonist who had endured hardship but emerged stronger through his connection to community and allegiance to soulfulness as a north star.
After recording the song, Sam + Dave released “Soul Man” in August 1967. The song quickly rose the charts. By October, it sat in the #1 seat on the R&B chart, remaining for seven weeks. On the pop charts, it soared to #2. Beyond its commercial success, “Soul Man” was an anthem—one that resonated deeply with audiences at a time when Black identity and empowerment were at the forefront of national conversations. In early 1968, ‘Soul Man’ won Sam + Dave a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, beating out competition from Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.
Built primarily in an alternating G major, “Soul Man” reaches a bridge at the 2:00 mark, providing a late transition to Ab major at 2:10. (“Late” is quite the relative term here, as the track’s entire runtime is only 2:38!).
“New York R&B vocal group Ace Spectrum had a brief moment in the sun, but they remain favorites for their core fans more than four decades after they split,” (Soultracks). ” … the act began in the late 60s, releasing songs locally with some success. Ace Spectrum had a hit on both the pop and soul charts with the Ashford & Simpson-penned ‘Don’t Send Nobody Else,’ and also landed the dance hit ‘Live and Learn’ in 1976. They had more success on the album charts, hitting the top 40 with both Inner Spectrum and Low Rent Rendezvous.
The group achieved some unusual notoriety in 1975 for releasing a cover of ‘Third Rate Romance’ following its release by the similarly named Amazing Rhythm Aces, creating some confusion among music fans (though we actually liked Ace Spectrum’s cover better). By the end of the decade, Ace Spectrum members announced publicly that they were breaking up … “
Starting in a slightly uptuned intro in a mixed Eb major and minor, “Do You Remember Yesterday?” (1976) shifts into a verse in Eb major at 0:34. At 0:50, the pre-chorus returns to Eb minor, continuing through the chorus (1:06 – 1:38). At 1:39, the pattern continues, growing in intensity and complexity of arrangement (the string section is working hard!).
“The Tymes began as the Latineers in 1956,” (Philadelphia Music Alliance). In 1963, they released their hit record “So Much In Love” … “the song hit number one on the Billboard charts. The classic was also the first record to replace the Beatles in the number one slot on the British charts. ‘So Much In Love’ is currently number 38 on Billboard’s all time record list. Their other most requested chart toppers include ‘Wonderful, Wonderful,’ ‘Somewhere’ and ‘You Little Trustmaker.’ … The Tymes, now known as The Original Tymes, were the 2005 inductees of The Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Foundation in Youngstown, Ohio. They were also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award and Retro Artist award in 2017 by The American Music Guild.” The group joined the Philly Music Walk of Fame in 2023.
RCA Records signed the group in late 1973. Soul Express: “Those days, RCA paid serious attention to developing their soul roster and they were awarded with some hits by the Hues Corporation (‘Rock the Boat’), Wilson Pickett (‘Mr. Magic Man’), the New Birth (‘I Can Understand It’), the Main Ingredient (‘Everybody Plays the Fool,’ ‘Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely’) and the Friends of Distinction (‘Grazing In the Grass,’ ‘Going In Circles,’ ‘Love Or Let Me Be Lonely’). In the summer of 1974, RCA released their first Tymes single … ‘You Little Trustmaker.’ Written by Christopher Mack Jackson, the single stayed on the Billboard charts for fourteen weeks and reached #12 (pop), #20 (soul) and #18 (UK pop).”
Starting with its intro featuring a distinctive wordless vocal, “You Little Trustmaker” is initially in F major. 1:53 shifts up to F# major, bringing an instrumental verse featuring a full compliment of strings and brass, augmented with another wordless moment. Stick around for the track’s genre-defying unresolved ending!
“Mickey Woods, here making his final appearance on a Motown record, was a minor figure at best in the Motown story,” (Motown Junkies). “He may have been the first white male solo act on the label” (Woods is such an obscure figure in Motown’s history that this factor is not 100% confirmed) … “This B-side marks the first ever Motown writing credit for Norman Whitfield, later one of the all-time great songwriters and producers.
Odd that ‘(They Call Me) Cupid’ (1961) should have been relegated to a B-side – it’s clearly intended as a take on Sam Cooke’s ‘Cupid,’ released earlier the same year … perhaps Berry Gordy felt that to invite comparison between Sam Cooke (who was one of the all-time great voices) and Mickey Woods (who wasn’t) would be unfairly prejudicial … There’s also an ambitious string break in the middle eight which is pleasing to hear; the sound of musical horizons being continually broadened … That unexpected string interlude is a little rough, coming over at times as awkward and scraping; hardly the lush orchestral aural carpeting that would come to be associated with Motown in later years.”
Starting in C major, there’s a shift to Eb major at 1:16 after a brief suspension of the groove. Yes, the string section sounds like it’s sight-reading — but otherwise, an intriguing very early Motown track!
“’Don’t Fight It’ is a soul song originally recorded by Wilson Pickett in 1965,” (Stax Museum). “It was written by Steve Cropper and Wilson Pickett, with Cropper also producing the track. The song features a lively rhythm, powerful vocals by Pickett, and a catchy horn section. (The track) became a hit for Pickett, reaching #4 on the R&B chart and #63 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s lyrics urge the listener to give in to the rhythm and let go of their inhibitions, with Pickett’s impassioned delivery adding to the song’s energy and appeal.
Over the years, ‘Don’t Fight It’ has been covered by various artists and remains a classic of the soul genre. Its infectious groove and energetic performance continue to make it a favorite among fans of Wilson Pickett and soul music in general.”
Starting in a slightly uptuned A major, the track’s key shifts up a half step during a horn break (1:37) only to jump up another half step to B major at 1:45. The lead vocal joins in again at 1:49 for the final verse.
” … when it was released, on August 29, 1969, My Cherie Amour was the contemporary Stevie,” (UDiscoverMusic). “Nobody knew what was to come. Instead, people gloried in this young man who could deliver songs that attracted dozens of cover versions and became instant standards. Not only that, but his originals were infused with a warmth and joy the remakes could not touch.
‘My Cherie Amour,’ the song, sounds like a breeze on a hot summer day: fresh, easy and light … someone who was not yet 20 should not have been able to tackle such material so convincingly … Now we know what was coming, it’s easy to fit this album into a context it did not have at the time. We can’t hear it with 1969’s ears, but we can imagine the smiles it provoked and the romances it helped soundtrack.”
If MotD had started out by covering only the most classic of Top 40 tunes, then by rights we should’ve featured this one way back in 2011! The hook, stated first by flute and then joined by Stevie’s wordless vocal in the intro, is surely one of the most iconic in all of R&B or pop music. The tune’s unusual form begins with its chorus, the wordless vocal hook section. The song’s title is then mentioned at the start of a verse, again departing from convention. But despite the tune’s unconventional, stripped down structure, we never once feel deprived: the melodic richness, compound chords, lovestruck lyrics, and lush instrumentation are a rich sonic tapestry indeed. After a start in Db major, there’s an unprepared shift up to D major at 1:55. And just like that, Stevie brings it all to a close just under the wire for the era’s three-minute radio guideline.
“In 1978, Bill Champlin had left his namesake band to pursue both his solo career and his career as a session vocalist— the latter would provide him with one of the most extensive and impressive CVs in the music industry,” (The Review Revue). “His credits as both a session vocalist and songwriter read like a who’s who of the music industry of the late seventies and through the eighties as well. He even netted a couple of grammies (Best R&B single for ‘After The Love Is Gone’ for Earth Wind & Fire in 1979 and Best R&B single for ‘Turn Your Love Around’ for George Benson in 1982).
(Champlin’s 1978 album) Single is a product of that era. The influences are evident as the album bears a musical resemblance to Boz Scaggs Grammy-winning Silk Degrees album from a couple years prior. It’s little surprise that many of the musicians who performed on Silk Degrees also performed on Single. Incidentally those musicians who appeared on both Single and on Scagg’s Silk Degrees (Steve Lukather, David Hungate, Steve Porcaro, David Paich, & Jeff Porcaro) created a band of their own, Toto, and released a self-titled debut between working with Scaggs on Silk Degrees and Champlin on Single … Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers and Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates contributed their voices for some catchy background vocals. And having future svengali producer David Foster at the helm in one of his first turns as producer certainly didn’t hurt.”
Built initially in F major, “What Good is Love” is saturated to the point of bursting. The former Chicago vocalist obviously convened a gargantuan band for this track, with nobody working on a per-note basis. A dense flotilla of kitchen sinks sails by as a fast funk/disco groove drives the track. The musicianship is excellent, but the thick sonic texture might violate some sound systems’ warranties. A shift to G major is led by the backing vocalists during one of the only (comparatively) calm moments of the track (2:28).
