Legendary songwriter Charles Wright probably best known as the leader of `70s soul group The Watts 103rdStreet Rhythm Band and the composer of the resourcefully recycled R&B smash “Express Yourself,” a Grammy-nominated song that has been sampled by many rap artists (including groundbreaking “Straight Outta Compton” gangster rappers N.W.A), a few months ago released his highly anticipated soul, funk and rnb album, “Something to Make You Feel Good”.
During his long distinguished fifty-year career in the music industry, the Clarksdale, Mississippi-born artist has started up his own successful record label – A Million $ Worth Of Memories Records – and has become an author with his book “Up From Where We’ve Come” – the first in a 3-part series of autobiographies. This 2016 release is available as a physical book, a digital download and an audio book.
Charles Wright has found a whole new audience for his intense, emotional vocal style which belies the quantum of years spent in the business. As great as the melodies and funky rhythms are, the biggest strength of some of the songs on this album are the lyrics and their delivery.
Especially with the slower numbers, and I don’t say this lightly – you come away from listening to Charles feeling like your soul (and your mind) have been strengthened and healed.
Charles Wright reminds me of those past jazz and blues greats, in that he deconstructs a song and reconstructs it in a way that is breathtaking and intoxicating. He doesn’t just take his listeners through a song, but takes them into it, to explore its heart and soul and real meaning.
He pours every ounce of his being into each performance, and the emotional effect is staggering. His uncanny sense of lyrical phrasing, his percussive approach to rhythms and his technical virtuosity are truly unique. He still deserves to be heard by anyone with musical ears. This is evident on tracks such as “She Don’t Believe In Love”, “Thank God For Tonight”, “Made In The Shade” and “Comfort Me”.
The accompaniment on each track works very well whether it’s the keyboards, horns, strings or harmonies. You can especially enjoy some of these essential traits on the funkier numbers such as “Throwing In The Towel”, “Looking For An Ugly Woman” and “Happiness”. The musical chemistry here sets high expectations and only succeeds when attempted by someone like Charles Wright who has an interpretation that reveals pleasing new dimensions and musical point of view.
“Something to Make You Feel Good” does just that. Wright’s raspy voice and the backing arrangements combine to make music of great power and emotion. For what he has achieved, Charles Wright is probably still vastly under-rated as a singer, musician, poet, songwriter and arranger.
He possesses a most beautiful and passionate voice, expressing profound yet simultaneously simple and universal experiences of love, loss, hope and joy. Multi-faceted and multi-layered complex musical meanderings create that “never-a-dull-moment” listening pleasure for the duration of this album. For old school connoisseurs!
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