Womack & Womack — Baby I’m Scared of You

from Love Wars (1983)

Pour yerself a drink… and see how you like this smooth-sipping track from husband and wife team Cecil and Linda Womack. (Cecil being the brother of Bobby Womack, and Linda being the daughter of Sam Cooke).

R.I.P. Cecil…

Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers — Peace in the Valley

from The Complete Specialty Recordings (Disc 1)

I can guarantee that this a cappela version of ‘Peace in the Valley’ is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Majestic.

Baby Huey & the Babysitters — A Change Is Gonna Come

from The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend (1971)

Last week, my friend Tim took one look at me and said “you need some good music.” He sat me down in a chair, dimmed the lights, and cued up this track on his record player. For the next nine minutes and twenty-six seconds, I sat there rapt, overwhelmed by this electrifying track. Baby Huey hums, he raps, he screams, and most of all, he belts out incredible SOUL.

Enjoy.

(Baby Huey also had a big influence on hip-hop: check out his track ‘Hard Times’ and you’ll recognize the riff immediately… it’s been sampled by Ice Cube, Tribe, Public Enemy, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Lil Wayne, the list goes on…)