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LA based record label Stones Throw Records has a long history of cutting edge releases working the borders of spastic and blunted indie hip-hop. Label founder Peanut Butter Wolf along with Madlib and the late J Dilla are three of the genre’s innovators and brightest luminaries. Recently, however, the label has been delving into the burgeoning retro soul genre with releases by quirky white boys James Pants and Mayer Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s latest release, A Strange Arrangement has pretty well blown up with its smooth take on the classic Motown sound.
In late September, Stones Throw’s next foray into the genre is Aloe Blacc’s Good Things. Blacc is a first generation offspring to Panamanian parents who grew up in the OC. Kicking off his North American tour in San Francisco on November 3rd, Blacc is looking to build off the success he began to generate when his track “I Need a Dollar” was featured in HBO’s How to Make it in America. With mainstream publications like People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly revving up the indie hype, Blacc is beginning to develop a name. Let’s jump into the thick of Good Things and see what this modern soul man has in store.
Flirting with the classic sounds of Curtis Mayfield and even more notably Bill Withers, Good Things immediately pops off with the bubble bounce of the aforementioned “I Need a Dollar”. A crack and snapple group of musicians calling themselves The Grand Scheme back Blacc, laying an organic and propulsive cushion to support his deep singing voice and warm, mellow tone. The band coaxes reggae rhythms and porno funk guitar skillfully into “Miss Fortune”, bending and kneading the music to establish the album’s greatest strength – supremely good song arrangements. Cohesive yet expansive in their variety ; clean yet cool in their elegant execution, these arrangements sound as if they were poured over with a fine tooth comb in the studio and contrary to the fellas in Spaceballs searching the desert for Princess Vespa: they found shit.
Violins and horn swells allow “Life So Hard” to sound like an unearthed Impressions outtake from the early 70s and Nick Movshon’s addictive bassline in “Take Me Back” is a head bobbin’ building block Madlib should sample on his next track. Good Things continues to build in strength and quality as the album moves forward with “Femme Fatale”, a slow burning ode to the perfect girl that reaches its zenith with a strikingly gorgeous chorus melody. One can imagine Blacc singing this live with shaky knees and quivering lips. The title track’s understated wah-wah guitar tone is a perfect complement to the delicate six string melodies that sit atop the musical bed. “Green Lights” pairing of warm organ stabs and wistful, melancholic vocals make as nice a combo as Five Guy’s burger and fries.
Blacc himself graces the cover of Good Things dressed sharply in a white tuxedo with red bowtie, embodying the soul front man vibe to a T. In some spots Good Things recalls the overall quality of Raphael Saadiq’s latest release, The Way I See It, while remaining musically darker in tone. Lyrically, Blacc toes the line between the classic soul themes of love and social change. His ability to re-interpret and reinvigorate the beloved soul sound with remarkable song arrangements makes this debut stand out from the oftentimes cookie cutter format of two chord vamps and throaty vocals. Good Things is a grower, gazing toward the classics for inspiration and standing tall next to the modern champions. Let its charm slowly burn.
