things and time will tell.

Gina Birch – Feminist Song Third Man Records – TMR719 Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, Limited Edition, USA, 2021 info This 2021 single was Gina Birch's first "solo" record, 40+ years after founding the Raincoats in London. That band, started when she was just over 20 years old after seeing a Slits gig, has popped up on these pages before. (And if you don't already know them, that is the track to hear .) I've always enjoyed their messy embrace of feminism, art, anger and fun. In her late 60s now, Birch still has it. Feminist Song isn't built around the funkiness that worked its way into my favorite Raincoats cuts, but those other threads are still there: her painted cover art, the sharp politics, the tongue in cheek honesty ("and yes, sometimes I'm a pushover"), the catchy hook of a chorus buried under all the noise. Fellow Raincoat Ana da Silva supplies some analog synth and Youth produces the track (also contributing a B side "ambient mix")...

Various – Xterminator Records (The Legacy - Chapter 1) Global Beats – GB002, XTerminator, XTM.Nation Vinyl, LP, Compilation, UK, 2021 info Again with the long breaks... I've been meaning to put this one up for a while. Here is a recent compilation of tracks from Xterminator Records, that will hopefully help brighten your day (even during a dark northern January). [Oops. February by the time I got around to finishing this- sigh.]  Philip "Fatis" Burrell's Xterminator label released some of the most important Jamaican music of the 1990s and early 2000s. Fatis and the young artists around him (including Luciano, Sizzla, and Capleton) were at the heart of a resurgence of cultural music and Rasta themes in the 90s, a major shift from the previous decade of dancehall hits.  This era is probably best remembered for the surge of militant, Bobo dread singers, but Xterminator wasn't just ushering in a new era of cultural lyrics- these were great songs and the scene was more...

Masters At Work – Our Time Is Coming Cutting Edge – CTCR-14186/B 2xCD, Album, Japan, 2002 info I took too long to post as always, once again missing my chance to post some favorite Christmas records... Next year, I guess. I hope any of you seeing this got some peace over the holidays. It's almost the new year, so if you have an urgent need for some party music or a way to help ring it in on a positive note, this album might do it for you. Our Time Is Coming  was the second full length album by Kenny Dope and Louie Vega as Masters At Work, released in 2001. Once again, I won't pretend to be any kind of expert on house music, but I'll go out on a limb here and say that anyone who writes this record off as too "mainstream" or "predictable" is either: A. a snob; or B. not paying attention. MAW produced an album that I can put on to convince myself the sun is coming out, even at a late night party or in the Chicago winter.  On the predictable charge: Look, th...

Barry White – I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby 20th Century Records – TC-2018 Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Styrene, Terre Haute Pressing US, 1973 info For no reason other than I felt like listening to it, here's Barry White with one of his very greatest singles. If you know someone who doesn't understand why people love this guy beyond silly impersonations of the sexy voice, I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby  is the place to start. The opening is amazing (and the break has been put to good use more than once on some classic hip hop productions), but listen to the arrangement here- so much going on. The build up that begins right around the 50 second mark is really something special. The B side, Just A Little More Baby , really lets the music (and Barry White's production skills) shine. More than just a straight instrumental of the A side hit, it's almost a dub mix with Barry's vocal scats echoing in and out and the different instruments getti...

Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters – Bird In Hand Goldenlane Records – 0889466251245 Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, USA, 2021 info Random reggae. Last year, for some reason, a new 7" single was released collecting two songs from a 1978 Lee Perry production,  Return Of The Super Ape  by the Upsetters . I'm not sure who they thought would be the market for this in 2021, but it has a great cover photo of Scratch at his Black Ark studio and an excellent choice for the A side.  If the lyrics to  Bird In Hand  seem hard to follow, that's probably due to it being a 44-year-old, low-fi recording of a Jamaican singer (the obscure Sam Carty , I believe, who went uncredited on both the original release and on this single) attempting to sing the Hindi lyrics to a 78-year-old Bollywood musical. Perry's house band, the Upsetters, were essentially covering Milte Hi Aankhen , a love song from the 1950 film Babul . I wish I knew how Perry and company had encountered this soundtrack (writ...

The Roots – Things Fall A Preview MCA Records – MCA4P-90170 Cassette, Promo, US, 1999 info Why this tape? It made me nod my head (and maybe even crack a smile) at the end of a rough week. There are a hundred pointless promo records, tapes and CDs for every one that has a buried gem on it, but every now and then you find a treasure. Things Fall A Preview  is one of those free cassette tapes you used to find given away in record stores to promote a new release. In this case, it was to boost the Roots' fourth album, 1999's  Things Fall Apart . Instead of the usual 20 second snippets of songs on a tape that you'd throw away after one listen, we're treated to something special here. The tape is a full "best of The Roots" style DJ mix spread by legendary DJ and fellow Philadelphian, Jazzy Jeff. Yes, that one. If you only know him from sitcom cameos or Parents Just Don't Understand , take my word that DJ Jazzy Jeff is the real deal. (Also: don't front on Pare...

Various Artists – Special Selections From The Soundtrack Philadelphia (Sampler) Epic – AED 5695 Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo, Sampler, US, 1993 info This soundtrack is questionable compared to the last one , but to be fair, Sade's track is actually just fine. She's back with the band on this one, turning in a cover of Percy Mayfield's lovely Please Send Me Someone To Love  as their contribution to the soundtrack for the Denzel Washington/Tom Hanks blockbuster, Philadelphia .  ...Which, by the way, makes this another soundtrack to a film I've never seen. (Pay attention and you'll notice a pattern.) The Sade song isn't going to wind up in your top ten, but it's definitely worth a spin. Please Send Me Someone To Love  is a nice piece of songwriting to begin with. You've probably heard five different versions of it over the years and, if you mostly remember the chorus, it's a cut with a surprisingly heavy set of lyrics . Interesting to hear Sade play...