We got 'A Thing' going on...

Whoa, Okay, Hey, Yeah-
been busy celebrating Black History Month; too busy to bust out songs for you.
But here's one. Billy Paul sings that ol' chestnut "Mrs. Jones" (which you can stream way below). But here he asks the pressing question, "Am I Black Enough For You?". (I query myself the same, often: that's how I stay on top of it- and yeah, that's a download up there)




Download Billy Paul's "Am I Black Enough For You?".


Billy Paul will do some scat-style singing at times; you even catch a bit of that in "Mrs. Jones". "...meeeee,eeeee, me, me and miss-'n'misssssesss Joooonesss..." (listen to it- it's just like that!)
Now, I'll be honest, Billy- I find that shit a little annoying. BUT you avoid all annoying, all together, on "Am I Black Enough For You?", and I thank you for that.
Both these tracks, by the way, are on "360 Degrees of Billy Paul", which is the cover presented here. Dude's from Philly too:I got this album on Broad Street, at The Official Philadelphia International Records memorabilia and Album Selling Place, located here:



Digitally, it is located here.

Here's "Mrs. Jones", which is a serious cut in its own right.


Ah, Billy, that really hit the spot. I owe you one.


"You're welcome!"

Black History Month - "and Yet, Without Heirs, Memory is Meaningless"

It's time for Black History Month! I saw Angela Davis talk the other day, and it reminded me that this, the shortest month,+
is, in fact, dedicated to the history of Black Americans.
Now, I know little about strictly political American history, so most of what I know about Black Americans is musical history. It goes without saying that Black people have contributed their fair share to other aspects of this American life++;
but I have been very busy and so have heard, in the main, about musical contributions.

+Angela Davis told us that it used to be called 'Negro History Week', then 'Black History Week', now 'BHM'. Just saying: both points (name, and duration) are relevant.

++Not the radio show "This American Life"; I'd wager Black people have done very little to contribute to that show. Call it a hunch.

The Young Folks - Jackson 5


Okay, you all were way into so-called "HOPE" recently: this song's for you. It basically is exactly how Obama got elected. (If you missed the details of that, don't worry- this song sums it up in just under 3 hummable minutes.)
It's the Jackson 5 doing what everyone else did during the 70's/late 60's: they got political. This track's all about not letting The Man tell you what to do anymore: they're "marching with signs" even! That line gave me pause at first; watch:

"We're marching with signs
We're standing in lines, yeah, yeah
Protesting your rights
...
to turn out the lights, in our lives"

Oh -I see- your protesting the way they mess up your lives! You aren't protesting RIGHTS as such. Cos, that's a really radical political position. Even more radical when you consider that Michael is only 12 or so when he sings this...
He's fifty now, by the by: talk about your history!



The quote from the title is from Nietzsche, okay, so please excuse the seeming pessimism. I'm not pessimistic that Americans won't/don't have 'heirs'; that is, have a legacy ahead of them. Am I optimistic, then?
That's my little secret!: Blogs aren't suited to talking about yourself, obviously!
(That's why Michael Jackson doesn't have one- he's on Twitter)