r&b – Page 3

Average White Band | Why

“Cut the Cake (1975) was a difficult album to make for the Average White Band. They were still mourning the loss of drummer Robbie McIntosh, who had died of a heroin overdose the previous year,” (Popdose). “It got to the point that producer Arif Mardin considered pulling the plug on the whole thing. Fortunately everyone soldiered on, and the result was an album that topped the R&B chart, and made it to #4 on the pop chart. AWB has made many more albums over the years, but they never again attained that lofty height.”

“Steve Ferrone, a black drummer from London, England, was hired as a replacement — ironically, he became the first black member of a Scottish soul/funk band that had a very African-American sound and a largely African-American following,” (AllMusic). “Despite the fact that AWB’s members still had McIntosh’s death on their minds when they were writing and recording Cut the Cake, this isn’t a depressing or consistently melancholy album; far from it … If anything, they honor McIntosh’s memory by showing their resilience and delivering one of their finest, most engaging albums.”

After both starting in E minor, the track’s first and second verses glide through quite a patch of key-of-the-moment color before arriving at the chorus, where the tonality shifts to E major (1:45). At 2:07, the verse continues after a jump to G major. 2:28 brings an interlude in E minor which then pivots into another chorus at 2:51, starting this time in F major but ending in Ab major at 3:12 as the tune fades.

The Meters | People Say

“In the 1970s, The Meters were one of the leading rhythm & blues/funk acts doing the rounds in America at a time when there was an explosion of funk, soul, and R&B going on, and acts such as Stevie Wonder, Cutis Mayfield, and Parliament/Funkadelic were in their prime,” (NowhereBros.com). “Originally from New Orleans, The Meters not only performed and recorded their own energetic and highly charged style of R&B/funk, but also played as backing musicians for acts such as Dr. John and Allen Toussaint, and were amazingly talented musicians in their own right. The band’s style was heavily influenced by their hometown New Orleans and was characterized by the extensive use of piano and organ, horns, and a strong emphasis placed on syncopated rhythms which gave their sound an underlying funk feel. This hybrid of funk and R&B has often been described as New Orleans R&B, and as a style was best represented on their 1974 release Rejuvenation …

Rejuvenation is a high-class mix of funk and R&B, serving as a showcase for the individual band members and their talents as players … These guys lock in together so well as a band on this album … the quality of the playing on this album means that the Neville Brothers’ soulful vocals are often overshadowed by the instrumental backing and don’t feature as prominently as they probably should … these guys were such in-demand backing musicians within the R&B genre, and in many ways, you could describe them as being the 1970s version of The Roots … “

The tune is based on the tonic chord of D minor overall except for the brief “people say” chorus, which goes up to the IV chord. But the track shifts up a whole step to E minor from 3:11 – 3:38 during its bridge. Many thanks to regular contributor Rob P. for sending in this classic funk track!

Natalie Cole | I Live for Your Love

“Nine-time Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and performer Natalie Cole has proven to be one of the most beloved performers of all time,” (The Kennedy Center). “Natalie Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album, Inseparable, earning her a #1 single, ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ and two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, as well as Best female R&B Vocal Performance. More hit singles followed, including 1977’s “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” 1987’s “I Live for Your Love,” and a remake of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac.”

In 1991, Natalie took a bold leap that would change her life and career forever. Already a highly successful R&B artist, Natalie amazed everyone when she recorded Unforgettable … With Love, an album of standards from the American Songbook that included a duet with her late father — Nat King Cole — on the title track. The album spent five weeks at #1 on the pop charts, earned six Grammy Awards (including Song, Record, and Album of the Year) and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.” Branching out beyond music, she made more than 300 major television appearances, including Law and Order and Touched by an Angel and talk show episodes with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Larry King. She went on to release other albums through the 2010s; her final album, En Espanol, was an entirely Spanish language album. Cole died of kidney disease in 2015.

1987’s “I Live for Your Love,” written by Steve Werfel, Pam Reswick, and Allan Rich, reached #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1988; it was also a big Adult Contemporary (#2) and R&B hit (#4). The track shifts keys even before the first verse starts: the intro is in C# major, while the verse falls down to B major! The chorus returns back to C# major at first (1:11), but then transitions to E major before ending in C# major (1:32). Verse 2 starts at 1:41 in B major; the pattern continues from there, other than the bridge (2:51 – 3:18), which throws a few more changes in just for good measure. The tune wraps up in D# major.

Eddie Kendricks | If You Let Me

“By 1972, Eddie Kendricks, the Temptations singer who led the ensemble through classics like ‘Just My Imagination,’ was ready for a new sound,” (Downbeat). “The vocalist’s first solo effort, 1971’s aptly titled All By Myself, still hewed toward classic Motown, so when Kendricks was set to record its follow-up, People … Hold On, he enlisted a new raft of players to back him,” and enlisted a group called the Young Senators … “‘We took Motown away from the Motown Sound,’ Young Senators percussionist Jimi Dougans, 74, said recently about the pivotal 1972 Kendricks album. ‘If you listen to any Motown records, they had a certain rhythm, a certain groove … They locked into that, and that’s the Motown Sound. Even the producer [of People], Frank Wilson, said we wanted to get away from that.’

… Motown had enjoyed stratospheric success, finding an uncanny ability to cross over. But People—accented with a heavy swing—seemed less pop-oriented. If Motown had been The Sound of Young America, this music was the sound of the streets, and the title was no accident. People was one for the people, not for Middle America. Tracks like ‘If You Let Me’ and ‘Eddie’s Love’ showcased slinky two-step rhythms and horn charts steeped in an urban sound that never were intended to appeal to every demographic in America.”

“If You Let Me” doesn’t clearly state its Bb tonic chord until the 0:18 mark; its unpredictable harmonic sensibility and frequent syncopations don’t allow us to get too comfortable. Starting at 0:43, a contrasting section briefly implies that Ab is the new key, but at 0:52, a strong cadence in Bb re-asserts the original key. The contrasting section repeats several times throughout the track.

Nick Allen | Hard Way to Go

“William ‘Nick’ Allen, Sr. was a Durham (NC) barber who often styled the hair of musical celebrities traveling through Durham,” (BullCitySoul.org). “Allen launched his own singing career with the gospel group the Interns. Later he recorded the soul song ‘Hard Way to Go’ as a soloist. He was also the father of Nick Allen, Jr., the lead vocalist of the Modulations.”

The scant information available on Allen is lacking in detail. But his heartfelt vocal definitely swung for the fences with “Hard Way to Go” (1968). There’s some flutter on the source tape (particularly around 1:44), making it a bit tough to tell whether the chord is major or minor! Starting in G major, the track shifts to A major at 1:03. After a grand pause, at 2:13, a long outro hits, complete with a completely different groove. The outro takes awhile to settle in, but once it does (2:27), it’s in C major.

Rufus feat. Chaka Khan | Sweet Thing

“Chaka Khan, known as the ‘Queen of Funk,’ … has multiple hits with both her band Rufus and her solo career,” (Imperfect Fifth). “She still has a large following, but only a handful of her biggest hits have reached younger audiences.” Her 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Concert set list “is a collection of seven singles from both her solo career and time with Rufus, spanning from 1974 to 1985, with the most famous singles being at the very end. Okay, let’s talk about Chaka Khan herself during this show. You would never believe that she’s 71 years old because she looks and sounds fantastic. Her energy is loose and fun, her singing hits the high notes with ease, and she sounds almost identical to the original studio recordings.

Just as good as her are her backing vocalists, who get moments of their own to shine (see Tiffany Smith getting a solo to show off her pipes on ‘Sweet Thing’). The onstage chemistry between Chaka, the backing vocalists, and the band is always apparent during the show. Like many Tiny Desk Concerts, part of the fun is also the interactions between the band and the crowd. A show highlight was Chaka letting the NPR audience sing several verses on their own during ‘Sweet Thing,’ and it’s adorable hearing the enthusiasm and love for the music from the crowd … Chaka Khan’s Tiny Desk Concert is nothing but delightful, and a victory lap for a monumental artist.”

At 14:05, the key moves up a half step. In addition to the Tiny Desk video, we’re posting the studio version of the tune just for good measure. On the studio version of this 1975 classic, the key change hits at 1:56.

The Debonaires | Headache In My Heart

“The Debonaires were cousins, Joyce Vincent Wilson and Telma Hopkins … there were other members who remain unknown,” (AllMusic). The group released several smaller singles in the mid-60s, but 1966’s “Headache in My Heart” b/w “Loving You Takes All My Time,” raised the group’s profile by engaging George Clinton as producer (Solid Hit Records). “Solid Hit’s typist blew the spelling and the single is credited as by the Debonairs; she missed the E, but it didn’t matter; it didn’t sell either. They tried one last time with “I’m in Love Again” before closing the book on the Debonaires.

… Wilson and Hopkins later sung with Tony Orlando, a pop group that notched three number one hits” … eventually, they became known collectively, via their work with Orlando, as Dawn. “Tony Orlando and Dawn unite from time to time for brief appearances, but the Debonaires were forgotten almost before they began.”

“Headache in My Heart” comes straight out of central casting: a minor key tune about heartache that clocks in well under three minutes, following a clear recipe for chart success at the time. Unfortunately, this tune didn’t catch fire. The two-and-a-half-minute track shifts upward by half a step at 1:43.

Free Nationals feat. Syd | Shibuya

“Stepping out of Anderson .Paak’s shadow would be a difficult feat for anyone,” (The Standard). “Thankfully for the Free Nationals — the LA prog-soul quartet who’ve backed the rapper and singer for years — they’re some of the most sublime musicians in the game, with a handy knack for laying down perfect hip-hop, R&B, and funk-inflected jams. Their long-teased self-titled debut features a host of guest stars, including .Paak himself, but sees them approach things at their own speed.”

… “Shibuya” (2019) boasts the talents of The Internet’s Syd on vocals,” (Stereogum). “It’s a smooth, sensual, characteristically groovy ode to staying in bed with your romantic partner on the weekend: “You should stay until Saturday / ‘Cause you ain’t gotta work tomorrow anyway / Do you babe / Sweet Saturdays/ I got you all to myself on Saturdays.”

Starting in B minor, “Shibuya” shifts to an alterating C major/Eb major vamp during the chorus, first heard between 0:41 – 1:02, before returning to the original key for the next verse.

Sly + The Family Stone | Everybody Is a Star

“Sly + the Family Stone brought funk to the party during what many consider the most fertile period in music history: 1969-1971,” (Songfacts). “This was an eclectic time when hard rock, bubblegum pop, Motown soul, and singer-songwriter tunes were all on the charts, and it was also the heyday for Sly + the Family Stone. They landed three US #1 hits during this time: ‘Everyday People,’ ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),’ and ‘Family Affair.’ All three also topped the R&B chart.

With two white members (drummer Gregg Errico and sax player Jerry Martini) and a female trumpet player (Cynthia Robinson), the group broke from convention defied expectations. Robinson was particularly influential, encouraging girls to play the trumpet at a time when it was a very male-dominated instrument.

‘Everybody is a Star’ (1970) was released as a double-A-side single with ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).’ The single went to #1 in the US, so under Billboard methodology at the time, the chart position is attributed to both songs combined. Like many Sly & the Family Stone songs of this era – ‘Everyday People’ and ‘Stand!’ among them – ‘Everybody Is A Star’ has a message of togetherness and self-worth. These songs were set against joyful melodies that kept them from sounding preachy. They went over very well at live shows where a sense of community formed.”

The intro and verse is in Bb major; the chorus, featuring various wordless vocal solos and groups, (heard for the first time from 0:54 – 1:15), is in C major. Clocking in at just over three minutes, the tune features the second chorus as an extended fading outro as well.

Love Unlimited | I Belong to You

“The popular worldwide group, Love Unlimited, sold millions of records and performed to sold-out crowds all over the world,” (EurWeb). “The three original members (were) Glodean White (lead singer), Linda James (now Linda Hunziker), and (the late) Diane Taylor. Love Unlimited enjoyed great success with their first single ‘Walking In The Rain With The One I Love,’ their first gold single from the album From a Girl’s Point of View;” the album went Platinum and was produced by Barry White … Barry (worked) with the group and became their manager/writer/producer … ” Glodean later became Barry’s wife.

“Love Unlimited’s second album, Under the Influence of Love (1974), reached #3 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart; (the trio) became the first female group to reach the top five since Diana Ross and The Supremes. Love Unlimited continued their hot streak with a #1 R&B hit, “I Belong to You” from their gold selling album In Heat.

“I Belong to You,” a classic mid-tempo R+B track in an insistent 6/8, features vocal textures reminiscent of a sidewalk a cappella group. But there’s plenty of instrumental accompaniment, including strings that remind us of the trio’s notable hits with Barry White as the Love Unlimited Orchestra. At 2:49, an unprepared key change shifts up a half-step.