Recommended Listening: Raphael Saadiq on The Sound of Young America
As I tend to feel a tight kinship for the few dudes other than myself who are enthusiastically nerdy about comedy, books, and R&B/hip-hop music, I'm a big fan of Jesse Thorn and his public radio show/podcast, The Sound of Young America. On his most recent show, he interviews his fellow Bay Area native Raphael Saadiq, who was an original member of Tony! Toni! Toné! and Lucy Pearl, which was a supergroup of sorts featuring Saadiq with members of En Vogue and A Tribe Called Quest. He's out promoting his latest solo record, The Way I See It, which shows the vocalist/producer/multi-instrumentalist making new songs in the style and sound of vintage Motown. The album has also inspired surprisingly few critics to poke fun at the title by making Starbucks jokes. Nice restraint, critics!
Listen to the interview to learn about the benefits of old drums, obsessive secret practicing, how Prince introduces himself, superior flea markets, and what it's like to play a gig on a cruise ship when you're ten years old. You can stream, download, or subscribe to this free podcast over here.
-- Jeff Reguilon
BOOMER on November 20, 2008 at 06:40 PM
I saw his perform at a private show in San Francisco. He got a standing ovation at 9:30 in the morning in front of hardened industry execs. He's brilliant. His band is brilliant. I am a huge fan.