VARIOUS ARTISTS / “Ooh Child Mixtape”
“Ooh Child” wins the championship as the for-all-time anthem of optimism. Written by Stan Vincent it was released in 1970 by the Chicago family ensemble, The Five Stairsteps. “Ooh Child” became their signature song and their best seller. In 1971 Nina Simone released her cover of the song, and from that point on the song became both a classic and a standard spawning dozens and dozens of interpretations in a myriad of genres from pop to jazz, gospel to R&B, reggae to rap.
“Ooh Child” is a song that appeals to every demographic, ethnicity, gender and age group. Over thirty years after its initial release, new versions continue to be issued. Here we have 26 versions and once again I am hard-pressed to single out which is my favorite version. Take note that although there are a number of well known artists in the roundup, many of the most striking versions are done by lesser known and/or emerging artists.
If you’re looking for a pick-me-up Mixtape this is the one for you. Enjoy.
—Kalamu ya Salaam
“Ooh Child” Mixtape playlist
01 The First Family of Soul: The Best of The Five Stairsteps 
02 Is Love Enough? - Nanette Natal 
03 After Frank - 1st Movement - Napoleon Murphy Brock 
04 Sweet Refrain - Denise diRenzo 
05 Solids & Stripes - Jared Gold 
06 Wildflower - Josephine Sincere 
07 Trojan Soulful Reggae Box Set - Bruce Ruffin 
08 Simple Pleasures - Ramsey Lewis And Nancy Wilson 
09 Sweet Soul Records: Soul Over The Race - Aloha Ichimura 
10 Wings To Walk This Road - John Stoddart 
11 In It - Keith Marks 
12 Treasures: A Collection Of Classic Hits - Bebe & Cece Winans 
13 Happy 'Bout The Whole Thing - Dee Dee Sharp 
14 Timeless - Yoshika 
15 Here Comes The Sun - Nina Simone 
16 Doo-It-Doo-Wop! - Stormy Weather 
17 Another Day - Molly Johnson 
18 Better Than Anything - Nnenna Freelon 
19 Gospel Christmas - 103rd Street Gospel Choir With Pat Lewis 
20 The Gospel Soundtrack - Donnie McClurkin (Feat. Kirk Franklin)
21 “Keep Ya Head Up” - The Best Of 2pac Part 2 Life - 2Pac 
22 Black Mama - Lady Laistee 
23 On A Mission - Leotis 
24 Fire in the Hole - Brand Nubian (Feat. Aisha Mika)
25 Remixed & Reimagined - Nina Simone 
26 Live At Vaughan's - Kermit Ruffins
This entry was posted on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 3:12 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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