Sunday, March 3, 2024

California Soul - Marlena Shaw

California Soul - Marlena Shaw
2:57
The Spice Of Life, 1969
Written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, 1967

Originally recorded by the Messengers, this is a funk-soul song with big bold sound centered around Shaw's slinky but commanding vocals.  It's one of those meta songs about the power of the groove itself.  It'll get you dancing, and even more: "They had the melody and the beat, y'all / But the scene still didn't seem complete / Until they saw two lovers kissin' / They knew just what was missin'."  The song is a symphonic wave of strings, handclaps, bass, and horns, all swirling together into an ethereal yet funky sound.  Shaw sings it not like she's on the beach with the dancers and lovers, but as if she's above it all, on a mountaintop proclaiming it as gospel truth.

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