AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Taylor

Artist:James Taylor

Song:How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

Album:The Essential James Taylor

James Taylor's 1975 cover of the Motown classic How Sweet It Is was his final top ten hit before he left Warner Bros. for Columbia in 1979. At the time, Taylor took some time off after he married Carly Simon and Warners was bugging him to get back into the recording studio. The 1974 album Walking Man was a commercial failure with no hit singles. Taylor decided his 1975 album Gorilla would be more polished and commercial with a lighter tone. Warners house producers Russ Titleman and Lenny Waronker were brought in to make sure the album would be successful. How Sweet It Is was the first single and it reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Of course that song was originally a hit for Marvin Gaye in 1964 and written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. It was lighter in tone than Taylor's previous hits. Carly Simon was on harmony vocals. Musicians were Danny Kotchmar on guitar, Clarence McDonald on electric piano, Leland Sklar on bass and Russ Kunkel and Jim Keltner on drums. David Sanborn plays the sax solo and he plays it on the video. It is believed that Taylor recorded this song as a tribute to Carly. So all was well with Taylor and Warner Bros., right? Wrong. Taylor was unhappy at Warners and he had one album left on his contract. While he was recording the 1976 album In the Pocket, Taylor talked to labels and settled on Columbia. They offered him a whole lot more money and promised a more attentive production. Taylor's Columbia debut album was the 1977 album JT. And his cover of the Jimmy Jones classic Handy Man was a top five hit. The album was produced by Peter Asher who worked with Taylor when he was at Apple. This 2CD comp contains a mix of Warners and Columbia hits. Taylor sued Warner Bros. in 2012 for $2M of unpaid royalties mostly from digital downloads. After an audit was done, Warners settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. So I guess Taylor got his pound of flesh. Here's James Taylor performing How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) at the Blossom Music Festival at Cuyahoga Falls, OH. July 18, 1979. And that is David Sanborn on sax. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ali Gatie

Artist:Ali Gatie

Song:It's You

Album:You

Ali Gatie is an R&B singer songwriter whose 2019 single It's You had chart success. It remains to be seen if he can cross over to pop. I have my doubts. He was born May 31, 1997 in Aden, Yemen. His family moved to Abu Dhabi. Then they settled in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, ON. Gatie was influenced by Ed Sheeran, J. Cole and Frank Ocean. He started posting videos on YouTube in 2016. He was in university at the time and he decided to drop out of school and pursue a music career. His big break came in 2017 when he won an online competition called RhymeStars. That got him a manager followed by a record deal with Warner Bros. An EP was released in 2019 followed by the single It's You. It reached #25 on the R&B Singles chart and charted worldwide. Gatie wrote It's You in fifteen minutes. It's obviously about a girl. He performed it on Instagram to a positive response and then posted it on YouTube. Then he brought in producers Happy Perez, Pop Wansel and Sam Wish to record it. Warners took two previously released EPs and turned them into an album. The album was released as a digital download. The 2020 single What If I Told You That I Love You was from the same album and got similar results. Subsequent singles haven't done as well. We'll see how his next album does. The songs I have heard all sound the same to me. I could see that getting old very quickly. I would like to see him write about different topics and perform the songs in different ways. He can't do the same thing all the time. Folks will tire of that. Here's the video for It's You by Ali Gatie. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chita Rivera

Artist:Chita Rivera

Song:Kiss of the Spider Woman

Album:Legends of Broadway

Chita Rivera was an all time great of the Broadway stage. She worked in films and TV. But she is mainly known for Broadway musicals. Her Tony winning performance in the 1993 musical Kiss of the Spider Woman cemented her legacy. She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Jan.23, 1933 in Washington, DC. The Chita nickname was because her real name is a mouthful. Her father was born in Puerto Rico and he played clarinet and sax in the US Navy Band. He died in 1940. Chita was one of five children so her mom worked as a clerk at The Pentagon to support the family. In 1944, mom enrolled Chita at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet. A teacher from George Balanchine's School of Ballet visited the school. Chita auditioned and won a scholarship. She started appearing on Broadway shows in 1950. Her breakthrough was in the 1956 musical Mr. Wonderful starring Sammy Davis Jr. And she danced on the 1956 TV show The Maurice Chevalier Special. And that led to West Side Story which made her a star. Keep in mind Chita was the only Latino actor in West Side Story and there were plenty of Latino characters. Chita got her first Tony nomination for the 1960 musical Bye Bye Birdie. She finally appeared in her first film. Bob Fosse cast her in the 1969 film of the Broadway musical Sweet Charity. Then Fosse cast her in the 1975 musical Chicago and she was nominated for a Tony. She was also Tony nominated for the 1983 musical Merlin. And she finally won a Tony for the 1984 musical The Rink. It all came to a halt when Chita broke her leg in 12 places in a 1986 car accident. After she recovered, she continued to perform. But I think some on Broadway must have thought that Chita had retired. Because when Garth Drabinsky was casting the 1993 musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, New York Times drama critic Frank Rich thought the title role needed a Chita Rivera type. Of course she played the role. The other stars were Brent Carver and Anthony Crivello. Kiss of the Spider Woman was written by John Kander and Fred Ebb who also wrote Chicago and The Rink. Harold Prince directed and Vincent Patterson and Rob Marshall choreographed. It won seven Tonys including one for each of the three stars. The show ran for two years and it made Chita Rivera a star all over again. The original cast of Kiss of the Spider Woman is available on CD. But I recommend this budget comp which is one of a Columbia Masterworks series. After that, Chita made occasional appearances. But she was winding down her career. In 2009, President Barack Obama gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She returned to Broadway in the 2015 musical The Visit and was nominated for a Tony. In 2018, she received a Lifetime Achievement Tony. Chita Rivera died on Jan.30, 2024 at age 91. Here's Chita Rivera performing Kiss of the Spider Woman on the 1993 Macy's Parade broadcast. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Hazeltine

Artist:David Hazeltine

Song:My Ship

Album:For All We Know

Jazz pianist David Hazeltine has been performing in New York City clubs since 1993. He has recorded for jazz labels since 1995 and he also tours. He has never recorded for one of the big jazz labels so he's gone under the radar. He usually performs and records with a trio. He was born Oct. 27, 1958 in Milwaukee. He began studying piano at age nine. And by age 13 he was playing local clubs. After studying at the Wisconsin College Conservatory of Music, he started playing midwest clubs and was the house pianist at the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery. He played with visiting jazz musicians. After Hazeltine played with Chet Baker, Baker told him to move to New York which he did in 1981. He returned to Milwaukee to be chairman of Wisconsin College Conservatory of Music's jazz department from 1985-92. Then he returned to New York. Hazeltine first recorded in 1993. He has recorded for jazz labels like the Dutch label Criss Cross, Sharp Nine Records and the Japanese label Venus Records. My Ship is from the 2014 album For All We Know on Smoke Sessions. Musicians are Seamus Blake on tenor sax, David Williams on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. All three are veteran sidemen. Hazeltine wrote most of the songs. But My Ship was written by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin for the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark. It did not appear in the 1944 film version but was in the 1954 TV production. It was first recorded by jazz singer Ernestine Anderson in 1958. Plenty of jazz singers have recorded it. The most significant recent recording was on the 2002 album Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall by Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove. My guess is that's where Hazeltine heard it. I don't think it's been recorded enough to be a jazz standard. This album is available on CD. Hazeltine's latest recording as a leader was in 2022. He is currently on a European tour. He will return to New York in May. Here's David Hazeltine with Aldo Zunino on bass and Bernd Reiter on drums performing My Ship in Cologne, Germany Mar. 2, 2023.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alice Deejay

Artist:Alice Deejay

Song:Better Off Alone

Album:Housemix 2000

The Dutch EDM group Alice Deejay has had success mostly in European dance clubs. But the 1998 single Better Off Alone was a top five hit in England and a top 30 hit in the US. The guys behind Alice Deejay are Wessel van Diepen AKA DJ Delmundo and Dennis van den Dresschen. These two were also behind Vengaboys. Jurgen Rijkers and the duo known as Dash Berlin (Sebastian Molijn and Eelke Kalberg) also worked on this. They are all Dutch DJs. The singer is Judith Pronk. van Diepen and van den Dresschen first had success with the 1991 L.A. Style single James Brown Is Dead. This was followed by Nakatomi, Alice Deejay and Vengaboys. The pattern on this kind of music is it's designed to be played in dance clubs. Sometimes that turns into chart success but not usually. That's why these guys come up with new names all the time. They can sell it as new and fresh to club DJs. When I heard Alice Deejay, I thought it sounded like Vengaboys. It turns out it's by the same guys. Better Off Alone started out as a 1997 instrumental by Jurgen Rijkers AKA DJ Jurgen. Then they brought in Judith Pronk to sing the vocal. There's nothing to the song. It's one line repeated and a refrain. And Judith wasn't a singer. She was a makeup artist which is how they knew her. The original instrumental was written by Rijkers and released on his own label Violent Music. When the decision was made to add a vocal, Rijkers disagreed and wasn't involved. But he let them use the song. That's when Alice Deejay was formed. After the vocal was added, clubs went crazy over it and then it became a hit across Europe. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart. Then when it started getting played in US clubs, Republic Records wanted Alice Deejay to record an album. The single reached #3 on the US dance chart and #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a bigger hit than the chart position which frequently happens with club hits. Alice Deejay released the 2000 album Who Needs Guitars Anyway? but it didn't sell and it's not available anyway. You can get Better Off Alone on this various artists budget comp. This was Alice Deejay's only album. The guys reunited in 2014 with a different singer and they toured. Judith Pronk performed as Alice Deejay twice in 2021. She is now a photographer. So Alice Deejay was supposed to be a one shot deal. van Diepen and van Driesschen went on to have success with Vengaboys. They continue to produce music. Here's the video for Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Odetta

Artist:Odetta

Song:He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Album:Best of the Vanguard Years

Odetta Holmes was a big part of the 60s folk music boom. She was called The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement. Among her biggest fans were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Though she never had a hit single, her 60s albums on Vanguard and RCA were very consistent sellers. She was born Dec. 31, 1930 in Birmingham, AL. Her father died when she was young. And she moved to Los Angeles with her mother in 1937. One of Odetta's teachers told her mother that she has a good voice and maybe should study music. She started studying at age 13. And after graduating from high school, she studied music at Los Angeles City College. She worked as a maid to pay for that. Odetta's mom was hoping she could be a big opera star like Marian Anderson. Odetta had her doubts so in 1944, she took a job at the Hollywood Turnabout Puppet Theatre. So I guess Odetta was thinking she might make it on Broadway. She joined the national touring company of the musical Finian's Rainbow in 1949. While on tour, she got into folk music in San Francisco. She started performing at local clubs like the hungry i. She formed a duo with Larry Mohr and they recorded a 1954 album at San Francisco's Tin Angel nightclub. They performed mostly traditional folk songs. Odetta went solo after that and signed with Vanguard Records in 1959. Vanguard was a folk music specialty label at the time. Harry Belafonte heard Odetta and they appeared in a 1959 TV special. Plus he got her a record deal on RCA. So he really helped her and in 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called her The Queen of American Folk Music. And she appeared at the 1964 Washington Civil Rights march. Odetta recorded the traditional spiritual He's Got the World in His Hands on the 1962 album Odetta at Town Hall. She performed a mix of folk, blues and spirituals accompanied by jazz bassist Bill Lee. That's right. He's Spike Lee's father. Lee was mainly a session musician. He worked with other folk music artists like Bob Dylan and Judy Collins. This comp is a good intro to Odetta's Vanguard recordings. I may look at her RCA recordings in the future. When folk music was replaced by psychedelia in the late 60s, she didn't adjust her style and stopped recording. She still toured and appeared on TV. But with the end of folk music, Odetta immediately became a nostalgia act. She continued to tour until 2008 and died on Dec. 2, 2008 at age 77. Here's Odetta performing He's Got the Whole World in His Hands in Germany 1993. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Saigon Kick

Artist:Saigon Kick

Song:Love Is on the Way

Album:The Lizard

The 1992 single Love Is on the Way was a top 20 hit. It was the only chart single for the hard rock band Saigon Kick. So it is a one hit wonder. They were formed in 1988 in Coral Springs, FL. The band leader is Jason Bieler. He was lead guitarist, one of two lead singers, wrote most of the songs and produced. The other members were the other lead singer Matt Kramer, bassist Tom Defile and drummer Phil Varone. The band name came from a discussion about late 80s Vietnam War films and they wanted an edgy name. After playing the local club scene, Saigon Kick signed with Third Stone Records with Atlantic distribution. Third Stone was owned by actor Michael Douglas and record producer Richard Rudolph. Saigon Kick released their 1991 self titled debut album produced by veteran hard rock producer Michael Wegener. Bieler wrote most of the songs. Kramer wrote a couple. Saigon Kick toured to support it but it didn't sell. When Saigon Kick went to Sweden to record The Lizard, Bieler convinced the label to let him produce. The end result was a more diverse album. Love Is on the Way was the lead single and it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold. The album was also certified Gold. It's available as a budget CD. So Saigon Kick had success. Shouldn't they be happy? Apparently not. Love Is on the Way is an acoustic song commonly known as a Power Ballad. The band was unhappy that they softened their hard rock sound to achieve commercial success. The most notable example of a heavily criticized Power Ballad is Aerosmith's 1973 single Dream On. So there were problems in Saigon Kick. Tom Defile was replaced by Chris McLennon in 1992. They returned to Sweden to record the 1993 album Water. Matt Kramer was upset about the band's direction and there were financial disputes. This is why some bands split the royalties evenly. He returned to Florida during recording and was not replaced. Bieler took over as lead singer. Atlantic released Saigon Kick after the 1993 album Water didn't sell. Bieler is the only original member remaining. They recorded for the Japanese label Pony Canyon as Saigon Kick had success in Japan. They last recorded in 1999. The original members of Saigon Kick reunited for a tour in 2012. Bieler still leads a version of the band. They will tour in the spring. Here's the video for Love Is on the Way by Saigon Kick.