US IMPORT
Night Owls - You Don't Know Me 7"
SKU: FSPT1033 OverviewDescription:
Next on deck, straight from
Producer Dan Ubick’s Lions Den Studio, comes two more re-imagined
soul classics from Los Angeles’ own Night Owls. First up, we have
soul phenom Eli “Paperboy” Reed taking on Ray Charles’ classic “You
Don’t Know Me” and Rocksteady champions Jr. Thomas & The
Volcanos, laying their beautiful soul harmonies to Eddie Kendricks’
timeless “If You Let Me.”
For Side A’s “You Don’t
Know Me,” Ubick had a tough assignment - find someone who could
bring his own innate soulfulness to a song sung by “The Genius” in
his prime. The answer came from Massachusetts-bred Eli “Paperboy”
Reed, who moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi at 18 to cut his teeth
singing in juke joints all over the Delta. Then, moving on to spend
a year as minister of music at Chicago’s Southside church of Soul
legend Mitty Collier (Chess Records) and relocating back to the
East Coast to record for Capitol Records, Warner Brothers, Colemine
Records, and now Yep Roc, Dan had found his man. On “You Don’t Know
Me,” Reed’s voice ranges from belted lows to soulful highs that
perfectly sets the stage for this more upbeat and Roots
Reggae-infused rendition. With a tip of the hat to Jamaican legend
and producer Bunny “Striker” Lee, Night Owls take Charles’ classic
soul and R&B standard to new territory. But that’s not all;
Ubick also brought in Staten Island’s crown jewel, Eamon Doyle, who
meticulously laid in all the vocal harmonies, faithful to Ray’s
original.
On Side B is Eddie
Kendricks’ “If You Let Me” feat. Jr Thomas & The Volcanos
(Colemine Records), re-done here with a nod to another legendary
Jamaican singer, songwriter, and music producer, The Techniques’
own Winston Riley (Johnny Osbourne, Dave & Ansel Collins,
Hortense Ellis, etc.). Originally debuted on Eddie Kendricks’
post-Temptations 1972 masterpiece People…Hold On (Tamla/Motown),
Night Owls create a decidedly more moody and dubbed-out tone here,
laying into a bass-heavy one-drop feel that perfectly sets the
stage for Jr Thomas’ soulful lead and Volcanos members Alex Desért
(Hepcat, The Lions) & John Butcher’s (The Expanders) spot on
backing harmonies. While keeping much of the original harmonic
language, Night Owls bring this much-loved classic to new heights,
primed for the dance floor. It’s hard not to sway your hip and
groove to this one!
Format & package: 7"
Record label: F-Spot Records
Year of release: 2024
Tracks:
A. You Don’t Know Me (feat.
Eli “Paperboy” Reed)
B. If You Let Me (feat. Jr
Thomas & The Volcanos)
Specification | Description |
---|---|
Weight | 0,15 Kg |