Many of us have longed for someone from afar, hoping to be with him or her, but went unnoticed, unacknowledged. We pined in silence. That common experience has provided grist for some very heartfelt songs, across genres, and soul is no exception.
Witness "Young Mama" by Olu Dara. Dara, who is the father of the rapper Nas, became known in New York’s avant-garde jazz scene as an inventive cornetist in the 1970’s. In 1998, he released his first album under his own name, In the World: From Natchez to New York, on which he also sang and played guitar.
The track features Dara’s rich, resonant vocal atop a delightful stew of jazz, soul, and blues. Dara places you right at the peephole of his apartment door, watching Young Mama as she walks past, listening to her life from a few doors down. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
Many of us have longed for someone from afar, hoping to be with him or her, but went unnoticed, unacknowledged. We pined in silence. That common experience has provided grist for some very heartfelt songs, across genres, and soul is no exception.
Witness "Young Mama" by Olu Dara. Dara, who is the father of the rapper Nas, became known in New York’s avant-garde jazz scene as an inventive cornetist in the 1970’s. In 1998, he released his first album under his own name, In the World: From Natchez to New York, on which he also sang and played guitar.
The track features Dara’s rich, resonant vocal atop a delightful stew of jazz, soul, and blues. Dara places you right at the peephole of his apartment door, watching Young Mama as she walks past, listening to her life from a few doors down. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk