here they are:
"Are You Ready to Love Me?" by The War and Treaty: The African-American husband and wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, known together as The War and Treaty, are quite a powerful duo! Combining folk, gospel, and blues, their breakthrough single, "Are You Ready to Love Me?", sounds like a song from another time, albeit with a timeless quality one might find in musicians like Aretha Franklin. The chorus of the song recalls Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man", while the rest of it has a charming magic all its own. Though the message of the song may sound like a simple one, it actually revolves around just what a deep commitment it is to fall in love with someone. Michael was actually a war veteran before he met Tanya, unbeknownst to her, and he genuinely wanted to know if she was ready to fall in love with someone who had been through enough stress to affect him the rest of his life. Love isn't always easy, is it?!
"Come For Me" by Sunflower Bean: With "Come For Me", indie-pop trio Sunflower Bean have made the unlikely leap from Fleetwood Mac comparisons to Prince comparisons. "Come For Me" reflects the Purple One's ability to seamlessly combine funk and rock with a power pop flavor. Perhaps the Prince influence here was intentional since, like Prince's music, "Come For Me" is a song that celebrates sexual freedom. "Do you really wanna come for me? Do you really wanna waste my time?" lead singer Julia Cummings pleads earnestly yet powerfully during the chorus. What she's asking, essentially, is if the listener of the song is willing to take her as she is. You go, girl!
"Everything You Need" by Doyle Bramhall II (featuring Eric Clapton): Our entries for this week are bookended by soulful songs! Blues-rock newbie Doyle Bramhall II and blues-rock legend Eric Clapton combine forces in this song to produce a funky, spirited, passionate slice of funk-rock with "Everything You Need". Unlike the previous two songs, there is no "deep" message hidden within this one. It's just an earnest plea for love. Nothin' wrong with that, though. Plus, Clapton is featured on this song, albeit not until the last few seconds of it.
