So... click here and listen to a mystery track on my Vox blog. The first person to correctly name that singer – in the comments section here – will win a prize.That prize is a brand-new pack of 36 “Heroes of the Blues” trading cards (such as the one pictured left). They’re illustrated by R. Crumb, the legendary underground artist.
(Crumb’s not a funky whiteboy. He’s a craaazy whiteboy.)
Only one guess per reader, please.
UPDATE (12/17/08): We have a winner. RJ Smith correctly identified that singer as Mark Stewart.“Faith Healer” is from Stewart’s 1990 album “Metatron” (produced by Stewart and Adrian Sherwood).
The thwacking bass part was provided by Doug Wimbish (now with Living Colour). Wimbish, Keith LeBlanc and Skip McDonald, veterans of the Sugar Hill Records house band, collaborated with progressive English musicians on a number of funky projects under the group names Tackhead, Maffia and the Dub Syndicate.
Mark Stewart put out a new album this year, his first in a dozen years, called “Edit.” (Click here to hear “Secret Suburbia.”)
Filmmaker Toni Schifer is working on a documentary about Stewart. A 6-minute preview is up on YouTube:
Thomas Dolby. Don't know the name of the cut though.
ReplyDeletedag, I cdn't even venture a guess.
ReplyDeleteHey, what about funky whitegirls--or did you already do that?
Hey, what about funky whitegirls...
ReplyDeleteThat's a tougher one, Kellybelle. Teena Marie, Alice Russell, Phoebe Snow, Joan Osborne... Ruth Copeland... Maybe that's one for the future.
Thomas Dolby.
ReplyDeleteNope. But I can't believe I didn't think of Dolby while planning this week's posts.
Aw damn! I was SURE that was Thomas Dolby. He did some nasty stuff on George Clinton's Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends, especially Double Oh-Oh.
ReplyDeleteThat's not what I was expecting at all-- sounds like some British proto-industrial with PIL-style production...
ReplyDeleteOff topic but for whatever reason this made me think to ask how you feel about something like The Redskins, stylistically over lyrical content... More straight R&B than funk, but I'm curious to hear your opinion all the same...
I second the PIL connection,Lydon vocals,probably produced by Bill Laswell,another Funky white boy.
ReplyDelete^ Nice try. Damn, if I stumped you and DeAngelo, I know this is a high degree of difficulty.
ReplyDeleteI have NO idea. Not a clue. It looks like a really cool prize so I googled it for ideas, just to get a clue. Imagine that search criteria: Funky white boys who sound black, black wannabes. Your site kept coming up.
ReplyDeleteI'll guess Dave Clarke, but I've never heard this...
ReplyDeleteAlex Harvey.
ReplyDeletehmmm. i guess i don't know funky. didn't like that track. made me think of some david bowie stuff, but i like him. i'm stumped.
ReplyDeletemr. crumb is indeed a bit off. i love that he created portraits of blues greats...what a wonderfully warped world we inhabit!
Wow -- I'm liking this. And I'm thinking it's a track from a Brit, like Mark Stewart, or maybe somebody like Bill Laswell, who used Brit vocalists from time to time. Dang: I'll go with Stewart.
ReplyDelete^ We have a winner! Mark Stewart indeed. Well done, RJ.
ReplyDeleteHit me with an up-to-date mailing address, and I'll send your prize.
Damn, see I was gonna say it was ya mama.
ReplyDeleteWell done RJ!
ReplyDeleteOkay, the Tackhead rhythm section had me fooled. I thought it was Thomas Dolby doing his thing on the Fairlight. That was a good one. You had me stumped.
ReplyDeleteDeAngelo,
ReplyDeleteThanks. The way you described some of their songs almost had me hearing the actual music. You're pretty deep, my man...
KeWayne, thanks for the love, brotha.
ReplyDelete