JIMMY SCOTT / “Our Day Will Come”

This song is damn near a textbook definition of optimism. It first surfaced as a bossa-nova-ish hit for a group called Ruby and The Romantics. It was an oft-sung hit back in 1963. Although they had subsequent minor hits such as “Hey There Lonely Boy,” nothing else Ruby and the guys recorded clicked the way “Our Day Will Come” did. The group started as an Akron, Ohio-based all-male quartet comprised of Ed Roberts (1st tenor), George Lee (2nd tenor), Ronald Mosely (baritone), and Leroy Fann (bass). In a marketing move, Fann asked Ruby Nash, also from Akron, to join their group, which was called The Supremes. Of course, the name had to go. Before the group could come up with a new name, an industry executive dubbed them “Ruby and The Romantics” as part of his deal to get their first recording. The name stuck but they were unable to produce a hit as big as their first recording effort and, eventually, the group dropped from sight even though their debut song continued to get occasional airplay. Enter Isaac Hayes in the Seventies. The album is called To Be Continued. Ike de-accelerates the tempo down to a slow stroll. And even though it’s played as a ballad, the drums are mixed upfront and loud, louder than the strings. It’s interesting to hear French horns providing a plush bed of long tones over a funk drummer keeping time with rimshots and judiciously placed bass drum kicks. From the opening rap to the rich orchestral arrangement, this is Isaac Hayes in full bloom. I was blown away by the acoustic bass solo over the reoccurring bed of choral cooing. This arrangement was the just right mix of soul vocals and jazz elements. This was progressive pop, smooth jazz before there was any such label. I’m clear that a major part of the success of this version is Ike’s manly vulnerability. The “rap” he lays down with his virile baritone is as far from braggadocio as you can get, yet there is no doubt that he is a strong man, declaring that he’s going to go off to Viet Nam and make it back to claim his rightful place beside his beloved. Could any black male pop star today project a similar image without being laughed at? Isaac Hayes is one of a kind, a star who never lost the common touch. His folksy voice represents the reality of many, many Black men of his generation, men who loved deeply and completely, modeling what it meant to be a man, a lover, a husband and a friend. I had planned to make Ike’s version the cover feature, but then what do you make of 'Little' Jimmy Scott, whose diminutive frame and extra-light voice aces Ike by slowing the tempo down to dead-slow as he reads the lyrics with a conviction that is so certain, so deeply felt, we can not help but be moved. When Jimmy Scott is on, as he is here, he’s amazing. Like Marlena Shaw, Jimmy Scott is an example of an exemplary singer who has been under-appreciated and overlooked by both the industry and the general public. In Jimmy’s case, the slights have been particularly egregious. His first hit record didn’t even have his name on it. “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” was put out under the name of the Lionel Hampton band, even though it was played and played and played because of the angelic vocal work of the uncredited vocalist, i.e. Jimmy Scott. And that was just one in a long string of bad breaks that have plagued Jimmy Scott. Nevertheless, Scott continues and is able to make everyone within the sound of his voice believe that their day is coming. Man, the transcending and transformatory power of Black music is a human miracle. —Kalamu ya Salaam           Valium in the drinking water          I was listening to the various versions of "Someday We'll All Be Free" and to these versions of "Our Day Will Come." My sister walked in. The conversation went something like this:

Asante [after listening through a few songs]: "The sad, slow music. The draggy voices. I'm getting a depressed vibe." Mtume: "Yeah." Asante: "Is this this week's music?" Mtume: "Yeah." Asante: "What's the theme?" Mtume: "It's optimism week." Asante [surprised]: "Really?" Mtume: "Yeah." Asante: "I don't know. 'Optimism' has a certain energy these songs lack." Mtume: "Hm-mm." Asante: "I hear 'optimism,' and I think a certain liveliness of expression." Mtume: "Yeah." Asante: "But I guess that's just me." Mtume: "I hear you." Asante [after a pause]: "You're not writing this down, are you?" Mtume: "Every word." Asante: "No!!!" Mtume: "Every word." . . . Asante: "You know, the lyrics set to different music and in a different tone of voice would be very optimistic. It's not the lyrics that are depressing." Mtume: "Don't try to save it now." Asante [laughing]: "You suck."

 

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  Baba, what gives? Are they putting Valium in the drinking water in New Orleans or what?  

* * *

  Conversation update.  

Mtume: "Hey, I forgot! There's a rap that goes with Ike's version. You wanna hear it?"

Asante: "No." Mtume: "Come on. Seriously, you wanna hear it?" Asante: "No." Mtume: "Well, you're going to hear it anyway." Asante: "@$&($!%!."

 

* * *

I am kinda feeling the Ruby & The Romantics version though. —Mtume ya Salaam

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 11th, 2006 at 12:05 am and is filed under Cover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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