Greatest Blues Car Songs: Continued....

Continuing along with the top ten list of greatest blues car song...


We were at number seven, for those of you just tuning in...

7. Galactic: "Wild Man" (Other Side Of Midnight: Live In New Orleans). When talking about great New Orleans bands, of course the Meters are on top...but, this hard charging New Orleans funk band is one of the songs that's making commuter traffic feel like a good excuse to listen to music. They have some Meter's influence, but it's a harder funk, with some jazz overtones. This is one of the few live albums I've heard that make you wish you'd have been there. The hot cut, in my opinion, is Wild Man, a pounding medium tempo funk that avoids the usual mistake modern funk bands make, which is, playing too much. Less notes, less beats, lots of soul. Those who download on Rhapsody, iMesh and other sites can't miss with this song. If you're on iTunes, it'll be one of the best dollars you ever spent.

8. Major Lance: "Rhythm" (Everybody Loves A Good time: Best of Major Lance). "Rhythm" is from a 40 track compilation that's pretty much available everywhere on the download sites and in CD. Lance was mainly known for his big hit, "Monkey Time," but those who think that sophisticated Soul music was only found at Motown (and the Impressions) should take a listen here. You'll find a singer who could sing pretty much anything, almost as good as Sam Cooke, and had a absolutely listenable big band soul sound (with conga like a lot of the early 60s soul had) style that sounds as good on a summer night as anything ever recorded. Rhythm opens with a call and response and glides along with a soul-pop mix that goes along with a cadillac better than a whitewall spare tire. You can see where Laura Nyro's early sound came from. Major Lance has to be one of the most underrated singers of all time, this guy should have been as big as the Drifters or the Temptations.

More detailed listening in progress, numbers 5 and 6 coming along....