Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
If you love music, but don't have the time to keep up with what's new, you should listen to Tuesday Reviewsday. Every week our critics join our hosts in the studio to tell us about what you should be listening to, in one short segment. This week, Oliver Wang from Soul-Sides.com joins A Martinez with his top picks.
Artist: Syd Tha Kyd
Song: "Smile More"
Syd is one-half of the L.A.-based duo known as The Internet, but this is a solo release she just put out on Soundcloud. To me, it falls into that category of "summer songs that just happen to come out in the winter." I love the sunny, chill vibe of this. So sultry and soulful and sexy.
Artist: Gloria Ann Taylor
Album: "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing"
Songs: "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing," "World That's Not Real"
Gloria Ann Taylor was discovered in Toledo, but cut most of her songs here in L.A. alongside her then-husband, producer Walter Whisenhunt and her musician brother Leonard Taylor. This new compilation is the first anthology that I know of that collects her mid-70s output, including an early disco era EP that can easily sell for $1000.
I’ve long been a fan of her music, especially because it’s so haunting in its affect. Part of it is the lo-fi-ness of some of her recordings, like on "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing," but even on her higher fidelity recordings, the overall feel of the song is surprisingly dark and moody. I think her best song, also on this anthology, is “World That’s Not Real,” which Columbia released in 1973. I still get chills from it.
Artist: 4th Coming
Album: "Strange Things 1970-1974"
Song: "You’re My Precious Someone"
Speaking of L.A. artists, 4th Coming was the L.A. duo of Hank Porter and Jack Williams who recorded a slew of singles in the early 1970s and for the most part, were obscure even by local standards until the soul/funk collector community in L.A. began to rediscover them beginning in the 1990s. What’s so incredible about their output is the diversity of styles they recorded: some of it is in the funk vein of Sly Stone, some of it sounds like Southern gospel, still other tunes are straight up County and Western. It’s marvelous if not also a bit multiple personality.
Artist: The Pointer Sisters
Album: "This Records Belongs To ___"
Song: "Pinball Number Count"
This is from a new compilation of children's music put together by DJ Zach Cowie for Light in the Attic Records. Great choices from an eclectic set of children songs recorded between the 1960s and ‘80s. For me, as a '70s baby who grew up on Sesame Street, the “Pinball Number Count” was the jam and quite possibly my introduction to funk music.