Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Funk-tober!!

I noticed all three entries this week were a blend of funk and rock, hence the silly name I gave this week's blog entry. Here are the songs:


"Colors" by Black Pumas: Neo-soul group, Black Pumas, made the adult alt charts not once, but twice, both times with the funky yet haunting, "Black Moon Rising". Their second song (and third entry?) on the adult alt charts is "Colors", one of the few songs I know that could be called "acoustic funk". The song starts out with a vaguely acoustic strum, only for a soulful rhythm to be gradually added into the song as it progresses. What the song is about could be up for debate. Some of the lyrics hint at the colors of nature, but during the chorus when he talks about "all my favorite colors, my sisters and my brothers", it could be symbolic of the idea of racial harmony, an idea that is desperately needed in today's increasingly divided world.


"Hey Rose" by Son Little: Son Little's slinky, catchy mix of blues and funk continues in his latest song, "Hey Rose". The song is unique in Little's catalog for its use of handclaps. The earthy yet gutsy vibes he got across in his debut single, "The River", back in 2014, are shown prominently on "Hey Rose". The song seems to be about wanting to fall in love with someone by inviting them to a concert, as evidenced by the "big brass band" that Son Little keeps telling the titular Rose about, despite there being no brass instruments on the song itself.


"Over You" by Seratones: The combo of funk and rock music seems to be pretty trendy this week since it makes up the entirety of this week's blog! Our last entry for the week comes from Seratones, the sassy soul sensations from Shreveport who brought us "Gotta Get to Know Ya" in spring of this year. "Over You" is considerably less loud than "Gotta..." but it's just as jagged and unapologetic in its lyrics. "We made love like pianos falling down the stairs", AJ Haynes viciously sings during one part of the song. If that's not proof she's "over" the subject of her song, I dunno what is!