CASSANDRA WILSON / “Run The Voodoo Down”

MP3 15 Run The Voodoo Down.mp3 (5.35 MB)

This week marks the second anniversary of Breath of Life. As we did last year, instead of posting new tracks, Kalamu’s going to pick his favorites from Mtume’s selections of the previous year and Mtume is going to do the same with Kalamu’s selections. And, of course, Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.

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Mtume’s Picks

Artist: Nina Simone
Song: “Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter” (Jazzeem’s All Styles Remix)
Album: Nina Simone Remixed and Reimagined (Sony Legacy, 2006)
Originally Posted November 12th, 2006

Jazeem’s remix is a tour de force of modern (re)mixing techniques. Instead of a song, we get separate elements of a song all running wild and seemingly independently of each other. The out-of-nowhere drum break goes on way too long, but it’s actually perfect that way. Even random studio chatter gets fed into Jazeem’s mix machine: “I wanna, wanna, wanna hear Geeeeeene more,” says Nina. I don’t even know who Gene is.


Artist: Meshell Ndegeocello
Song: “Better By The Pound” (Funkadelic cover)
Album: Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape (Maverick, 2002)
Originally Posted November 19th, 2006

Leave it to Meshell to get her hands on a Funkadelic classic only to slow-freak it all the way to the point of unrecognizability. Meshell didn’t change the words and both Kalamu and I know the song in question. Still, neither one of us initially realized we were listening to a remake.


Artist: Céu
Song: “Concrete Jungle” (Bob Marley cover)
Album: Céu (Six Degrees, 2006)
Originally Posted December 10th, 2006

Céu’s version of “Concrete Jungle” is so pretty, it’s easy to forget what the lyrics are about. “I’ve never known happiness,” she sings. “I’ve never known sweet caresses.” It’s a blues, but it sounds like a love song.

—Mtume ya Salaam


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Kalamu’s Picks

There he goes again. Mtume overboard. emoticon

I’m laughing because he’s commenting on tracks that I dropped. It’s nice to know that I got him more confused than a kid in a candy store with only a quarter in his hand and ten thousand goodies to choose from.

Artist: Cassandra Wilson
Song: “Run The Voodoo Down"
Album: Traveling Miles (Blue Note - 1999)
Originally Posted September 17th, 2006

cassandra wilson 20.jpg
So let’s see, I think I’ve got to go with Cassandra Wilson. In fact, got to go twice with two versions of the same song, “Run The Voodoo Down”  and “Voodoo Reprise,” which features Angélique Kidjo. I really, really respect the breadth and depth of Cassandra Wilson’s catalogue of recordings.

—Kalamu ya Salaam

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 17th, 2007 at 2:08 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.


2 Responses to “CASSANDRA WILSON / “Run The Voodoo Down””

DJKATA Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 7:16 am

Great Selections again
Happy Birthday!
Happy Fathers Day!!
Heres to many more years of B.O.L. being my Sunday Morning listening
RESPEKS


Jinaki Flint Says:
June 20th, 2007 at 1:43 pm

I absolutely LOVE Ceu! And I agree with Mtume, that she really gives sadness a beautiful face.

Thanks for giving her space on b.o.l.


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