CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA feat. PATRICK WATSON / “To Build A Home”

Baba, Happy Father’s Day to you. And to all the other babas, dads, papis, etc. out there, Happy Father’s Day to you too. If you’re doing the right thing by your kids, wives, girlfriends, baby mamas, ex’s or whatever significant others you may have, more power to you. Keep it up! In these days and times, I know it’s not easy.

If you’re not doing the right thing, just know that it’s never, never too late to start. Sometimes, things can be so bad that it feels pointless to even try, but doing whatever you can is better than doing nothing. I’ve been there – believe me, I know how bad it can be. But sometimes you just have to man up and do the right thing for others even when the right thing isn’t being done for you. So send that check you’re supposed to send; make a little time; pick up the telephone. As Marvin, Gil and so many other geniuses of the music have been telling us for so long, we have to do something, anything, EVERYTHING to save the children. It’s not about you and it’s not about the woman. It’s about the babies. Do the right thing, y’all.

OK, enough preaching. Let’s get to the music!

* * *

           Mtume’s Picks              

Artist: Cinematic Orchestra featuring Patrick Watson
Song: “To Build A Home”
Album: Ma Fleur Live at the Barbican - EP (Ninja Tunes - 2007)

Originally Posted September 2nd, 2007

patrick watson.jpg
Being a man isn’t always about being tough and hard and big. Sometimes it’s about being human enough to admit that you’re also fragile, soft and small.

* * *

Artist: Gerald Toto/Richard Bona/Lokua Kanza
Song: “Lisanga”
Album: Toto Bona Lokua (Sunnyside - 2004)

Originally Posted November 19th, 2007
toto-bona-lokua.jpg
The way these cats sing lifts me up, puts a smile on my face, and wings on my back. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

* * *

Artist: Marta Gómez
Song: “Chicharra”
Album: Solo Es Vivir (, 2002)

Originally Posted March 3rd, 2008
marta gomez 01.jpg
The week of February 25th ’08, I posted a track by a young Colombian singer named Marta Gómez. I didn’t know much about her other than the one song I posted. The next week, Kalamu came back with an entire write-up on Marta and a beautiful batch of songs, including this drum-driven and very soulful cumbia, “Chicharra.”

—Mtume ya Salaam


            Kalamu’s Picks              

Artist: Mos Def & Vinia Mojica
Song: “Climb”
Album: Black On Both Sides (Rawkus – 1999)

Originally Posted May 26th, 2008
vinia mojica 02.JPG
I’m always impressed when Mtume does his Sherlock Holmes thing and goes deep into some of the music he loves, particularly hip-hop. Giving a shout out to vocalist Vinia Mojica was particularly impressive 1. because although I had heard her, I was not aware of who she was or how much she had done and 2. because she deserves to be known by name as well as by sound.

* * *

Artist: The Neville Brothers
Song: “With God On Our Side”
Album: Yellow Moon (A&M – 1989)

Originally Posted February 11th, 2008

aaron neville 08.jpg
I like this selection for two reasons: 1. Aaron Neville sings the hell out of this song and 2. the song deals with the concept of “God” being a god of conquest (i.e. on ‘their’ side as they conquer, enslave and eliminate). It’s deep. Think about it.

* * *

The feature is “To Build A Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra. We chose it mainly because it’s on a hard to find EP, Live at the Barbican. And of course because the song is appropriate for Father’s Day.

—Kalamu ya Salaam

 

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 12:56 am and is filed under Contemporary. 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.

Leave a Reply



| top |