In addition to writing and pontificating about music, I wanted to incorporate a segment to showcase some of my favorite songs. Every month, I would like to add a song or two to the Infinite Playlist™. These are songs I just can’t get enough of. There also could be a chance that these songs have some semblance of a connection. Maybe not. Who knows? We’re freewheeling this bad boy ’til the wheels fall off.
Yola – My Way
To kick off the playlist I’m starting with “My Way” off of Yola’s most recent EP of the same name. Showcasing Yola’s powerful vocals, this juggernaut of a recording takes advantage of every second of its run time. Musically the track is a throwback back to a time when funky synth bass lines ruled the radio airwaves. Upon the first few listens, the song reminded me of one of the more epic songs of the 1980s and the next selection to the playlist.
Rufus and Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody
From the start of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”, the listener is already held captive to a slow build. To the opening verse and accenting guitar licks throughout, the song ruptures into a joyous chorus. Every time I hear this song I am still amazed of how fresh and sharp this sound even forty years after its recording.
Interesting fact, “Ain’t Nobody” was almost gifted to Micheal Jackson and Quincy Jones after bandmates refused to let Warner Records select another song to become a lead single for an upcoming release. Thankfully the label saw the light and agreed to release “Ain’t Nobody” to immediate success, eventually topping the US R&B Charts.
Notable covers/versions of “Ain’t Nobody” feature a sultry dancehall-y rendition by Diana King, a pulsating club banger from English pop group Liberty X called “Being Nobody”, and a version from LL Cool J off of the “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America” movie soundtrack which was better than I could have imagined.
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