Category Archives: Soul

THE STUYVESANTS

Tuesday: June 1, 2010 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 11 Comments

The Stuyvesants

This album is my new release as 1/2 of the design and music collaboration team, The Stuyvesants! A project created, developed, and executed by myself, Darien Victor Birks (Flwrpt), and Allan Cole (Algorythm). We brought our talents together to produce 25 instrumentals, t-shirts, logos and graphics which capture the sound and visuals of the 60′s and 70′s, an era that inspires so much of the music and design that we’ve grown to love. We’ve done this under the moniker “The Stuyvesants”, paying homage to our current place of residence, which is the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York.

Please visit the full website: THE STUYVESANTS

The Stuyvesants / Panty Dropper

The Stuyvesants / Greene Ave. Anthem

The Stuyvesants / Brooklyn’s Finest

DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM

MUSIC IS THE MESSAGE

Monday: April 19, 2010 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Soul 1 Comment

Music is the Message

Review / Funky, soulful, and raw! Those are the words that come to mind when I think about this lp from Kool & the Gang, Music is the Message. As I always say when reviewing one of their albums, anything that they released on the De-Lite records imprint was a masterpiece, without question. On this particular album one can begin to hear the band experimenting with their instruments a bit more, pushing the boundaries of their sound. This record gets my triple stamp of approval in every category, from arrangements, to the improvisational element that it delivers at times, to the grit, and finally, to that real life element that they portray in their lyrics and ad-libs.

Design / Who wouldn’t like this cover? They’ve carved their name into a block of ice (obviously by illustration, but you get the point). It’s everything that it needs to be…bold, eye-catching, and vibrant! Another experiment in the hand-drawn type department, for the win. Definitely one of my favorite covers.

Info / Artist: Kool & the Gang / Album: Music is the Message / Year: 1972 / Label: De-Lite

Kool & the Gang / Music is the Message

Kool & the Gang / Soul Vibration

Kool & the Gang / Life Is What You Make It

Kool & the Gang / Electric Frog

HUTSON

Wednesday: April 14, 2010 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 2 Comments

Leroy Hutson

Review / This was the first of the “Hutson” series. By far my favorite, Leroy put together a very soulful LP about love, borrowing influences from the funk and jazz genres. The production is superb and the lyrics are relatable. Hutson had a ground-breaking sound that went overlooked, the instrumentation and arrangements were razor sharp, and the sound held up very well for not having been constricted to one genre.

Design / Another great cover, from the type, to the graphic photography of Leroy and his lady. Check out the styling on both individuals (peep that cane w/ the mean lean!), it’s right on! Although posed, the stance is very believable. The warm color palette is working well here, set off nicely by her bright white fur coat and dress. Two thumbs up on this album cover.

Info / Artist: Leroy Hutson / Album: Hutson / Year: 1975 / Label: Curtom

Leroy Hutson / It’s Different

Leroy Hutson / Cool Out

Leroy Hutson / Lucky Fellow

Leroy Hutson / All Because of You

Sweet Stuff.

Wednesday: March 31, 2010 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 1 Comment

Artist: Sylvia
Title: Sweet Stuff
Year: 1977
Label: Vibration
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.5/5.0

Front Cover

Review
This is a pre-recorded follow-up album to the self-titled “Sylvia” LP which was released in 1976. The single, “Sweet Stuff” was a big hit, so in an effort to cash in on that success, Sylvia quickly put out another full record…which is titled “Sweet Stuff”.

I love this record! I love all of her records, she wrote and produced them almost completely by herself. If you listen to her music, she had her own unique sound that nobody could duplicate. The sound was RAW and unpolished, the lyrics were risque, and the way she arranged her drums was ridiculous (her drums probably inspired the drum programming of your favorite producer). Anyway, this record is similar to her others in the sequencing department, meaning it loses focus from time to time, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the music…just means she was experimenting and probably not trying to make a concept album.

Check out the sound!

Private Performance

I Can’t Help It

Sho’nuff Boogie

Pussycat

The Notion

Cowards Way Out

Design
It is what it says it is…Sweet Stuff. This is a nice illustration of a kid sitting on “candy mountain”, lol! What draws me in most, not surprisingly, is the hand-drawn type…gets me every time. The uniqueness of it is something that can never be duplicated. Overall, this is just a colorful, exaggerated, fusion piece…strong and communicates the message (well…slighty, because this album is DEFINITELY NOT about kids and candy!).

High on the Sea.

Tuesday: February 2, 2010 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Psych, Soul 2 Comments

Artist: Masterfleet
Title: High on the Sea
Year: 1973
Label: Sussex
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 2.5/5.0

Front Cover

Review
This is Masterfleet’s one and only album, and rightfully so…they weren’t that good of a group. Less than average arrangements, mediocre writing, and more fluff than substance on this album. Another important thing is that they didn’t sound that original, just kinda like a combination of different 70′s groups. I generally don’t post records on my blog that I’m not too keen on, however, there’s one KILLER track on this LP that I needed to share with you all. Have a listen…

Check out the sound!

Let Love Stand

Design
This album cover is phenomenal! I tend to gravitate to covers that visually represent the title of the album. High on the Sea, and the members of the group are walking on water…rising above…surfacing, etc. (which makes perfect sense, this being their debut album and all). It’s straight-forward in approach, but they put an abstract spin on it with the silver body paint and the shiny (almost foil-like) body wraps…and they seem to be holding masks as well. The concept, composition, color manipulation and tension are gelling nicely here…

Another MAJOR plus is the typography. The font chosen for “MASTERFLEET” is awesome, and the profile silhouettes stepped in between the letterforms put this lockup over the top. The physical cover actually uses a metallic ink for the masthead, and that helps bring it off of the surface a little. Production techniques always put the icing on the cake.

I Want You.

Thursday: January 7, 2010 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 10 Comments

Artist: Marvin Gaye
Title: I Want You
Year: 1976
Label: Motown
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 5.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Arguably the BEST Marvin Gaye album within his discography. From my point of view, this is HANDS DOWN his best record. This was his first risque piece of work, that’s right, choir boy Marvin stepped outside of the box on this one, and succeeded in a MAJOR way. I Want You is an album that is synonymous with SEX, PASSION, LOVE, and LUST, amongst other things. It’s a series of “sexcapades” told through song in a sense, all of the lyrics are sneaky, one has to listen very closely to catch the subtle nuances of the writing.

Gaye teamed up with the legendary producer and songwriter Leon Ware on this one…I’m very sure that Ware influenced the nature of this album. His personality is to be FREE with any talks of sex, PERIOD. I think that Marvin felt this way all along (but blatant pillow talk on wax wasn’t excepted so much earlier in his career), he simply needed a co-pilot that was cut from the same cloth to help him feel more comfortable about expressing himself in such a way. In 1976, this was GROUNDBREAKING.

Again, I LOVE THIS RECORD.

Check out the sound!

Come Live With Me Angel

I Want You

Since I Had You

Feel My Love Inside

Soon I’ll Be Loving You Again

All the Way Round

After the Dance

Design
The Sugar Shack! This is a classic painting by the great Ernie Barnes. His style was unique, and riding in a lane of its own. I love the freedom in the poses, the exaggerated body forms, and the movement that these shapes create. It’s almost as if you’re in the painting, a part of the party. It captures a moment in an era where NOBODY stood on the wall at a party. I absolutely love this. An amazing piece of cover art for an amazing album!

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Additional info on Marvin Gaye

Obscure Discovery: Albino Gorilla.

Friday: November 20, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Soul Leave a comment

Artist: Albino Gorilla
Title: Detroit 1984
Year: 1970
Label: Kama Sutra
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)

Albino Gorilla

I actually don’t like the music on this LP, however, I chose to post the album cover and tell you a little about the group.

Albino Gorilla was a studio project, they’re not a real group, just a bunch of Detroit studio musicians and vocalists who came together and produced this album. The entire record, with the exception of the instrumental interludes, are covers of Motown Records material (Psychadelic Shack, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, etc.). Although I appreciate the originality of the cover music, I wasn’t thrilled with their execution. To remake hit songs, and fail at making them sounding as good, defeats the purpose.

What makes this album worth adding to the collection, however, is the cover art and the pure intrigue. Simple, but very bold typography, a cool punch-out production technique (which allows for the Gorilla to be lifted up and used as a flap, giving the appearance of a die-cut flap), and finally, just the overall illustration of the albino gorilla, and the subtle silhouette of a very dark and desolate inner city Detroit in the background. I was totally drawn to this LP! Even more drawn in due to the fact that there is not much information floating around about this album…its mysterious vibe still has me. It’s also really cool that they decided to release this rare album under the name of a SUPER RARE existence of a gorilla, the albino gorilla.

I just wish the music was as good as the album cover.

This record was sampled by a few producers, and actually made for some pretty dope hip-hop records, check one of them out below…

Pete Rock – For the People

Wild and Peaceful.

Monday: November 9, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Jazz, Soul 1 Comment

Artist: Kool & the Gang
Title: Wild and Peaceful
Year: 1973
Label: De-Lite
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.75/5.0

Front Cover

Review
One of the most consistent bands in the history of music, Kool & the Gang deliver a great LP once again! The album is primarily a funk, party type of vibe, however, the jazz element is brought to life in the title track “Wild & Peaceful” (which happens to be an AMAZING piece of music). The thing that always sticks out most about this groups music, is their unique ability to arrange songs, sounds simple…but its not. The way the music is written and performed is a thing of beauty, it’s timeless music, it’s special music. This is easily one of my favorite albums from these guys. Enjoy…

Check out the sound!

Hollywood Swinging

Jungle Boogie

Funky Stuff

Wild and Peaceful

Design
I absolutely love this cover! The painting has an intentionally abstracted perspective, but a really unique illustration style overall. It also takes the title of the LP very seriously…the composition is made up of several wild animals (animals that typically cannot co-exist), living together peacefully within their environment. The colors are sort of dim overall, but that adds a nice warmth to the piece…which works very nicely with the title track (which I’ve uploaded for your listening pleasure above). Another really nice element is the choice of type! Seeing as though the art is pretty busy, the type needed to find a way to live on the page…the protruding knockout lettering did the trick. Adding a slight arch to the type helps it stand on its own as well. Minor detail like that can go a long way…it’s all about detail, ALWAYS.

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Additional info on Kool & the Gang

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