Please forgive my heart, not that the problem lies anywhere in there. I’m a liar, I’m in a dream going my way nothing to rely on…”
Damn Bobby Womack, you just reminded me why I got into music in the first place… These days an old school artist releases an album and like clockwork it seems to be dead on arrival. That’s usually because theres nothing new about it, simply just someone from the past making music that sounds like it’s well, from the past. Being a great song writer has nothing to do with what generation you’re a part of, hence all the remakes and covers of classics that always sprout up. The disconnection usually comes from the production which most of the time sounds like an attempt at something modern or just flat out old. Producers Damon Albarn and Richard Russell captured the perfect balance on this one. They broke it down and let the focus be on Womack’s song writing and it couldn’t be more sublime… What really impresses me about this is Bobby’s decision to work with these guys, his open mindedness and desire to explore new territory. One of my new mantras about life is to keep exploring and Womack has led by example.
We never free a mind once it’s reached a certain age. It’s dangerous, the mind has trouble letting go.” – The Matrix
So much great talent is puts itself on a shelf because all they do is repeat their successes and never offer anything new so props to Womack. I grew up listening to hip hop where lyrics where everything. In order to survive as an artist you had to be an incredible lyricist, expressing your thoughts in unique ways, playing with words, coming up with new concepts and so on. The only way to be cool in hip hop back then was to be real and to be great. Nowadays it’s a different story but we’ll leave that for another conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I love the new production driven age but I can only connect with a drum beat and fabricated stories but so much. I’m trying to hear good lyrics, human experience, something I can learn from, admire and be inspired by. Listening to someone like Bobby Womack release a record like this in this day and age is exactly what the doctor ordered, enjoy.