Posts by El Somnambulo

Shoulda known that, once I took that detour to Muscle Shoals, I'd want to spend some more musical time there.  The Swampers ( Barry Beckett, keys; Roger Hawkins, drums; David…

When a perfect song comes into your head, why overthink it? Just put it up on the blog.  Written by Fenton Robinson (His 'I Hear Some Blues Downstairs' is a…

I admit I didn't follow the Cranberries. However, when we learned yesterday that lead singer Dolores O'Riordan had passed away, I checked 'em out. Turns out that I was missing…

By pure unadulterated coincidence, I just happen to be the producer for the upcoming (and almost sold-out) Tinsley Ellis show at the Arden Gild Hall. His combination of blues, soul…

We all know that, at their height, the Temptations featured two great lead singers--Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin. However, on this Smokey Robinson composition/production from 1963, Paul Williams does the…

While Van McCoy is perhaps best (or worst) remembered for 'The Hustle', he was a prolific producer and songwriter during the sweet soul era.  Agent Double O Soul is particularly…

Agent Double O Soul: "The Five Stairsteps aren't everyone's cup of meat, but I love their harmonies, especially the way they stagger the backup vocals during the verse on this…