Professor Eddy

Picture: Joan Smalls Instagram I like songs about making love and having a party, but most of all I like songs that tell a story. A great example of a story-telling love song is the one from Sandy Coast. The lyrics are about a guy that knows a gorgeous girl named Jenny from his childhood, but never paid much attention to her. Years later he is in Studio 54 and then he suddenly sees her walking through the front door. He is struck by her beauty and he is sure that he can live ‘for another 1000 years’, only when he sees the eyes of Jenny. The band name 'Sandy Coast' comes from the city where the members lived at the time: The Hague. One of the tracks is from duo Champs: "Hailing from the rugged yet picturesque Isle Of Wight, the two brothers honed a perfectly dreamy and melancholic sound dedicated to the pitfalls of human emotions. On their second album 'Vamala' they widened their sound, adding more pressing drums and sing along vocals." (Quote: Mercedes...

Joan Smalls by Matt Jones (I-D Magazine October 2013) Enjoy this new part of Smooth Sailing ! Designated by many as the father of British neo-soul (though his impact extends over to U.S. shores as well), singer/songwriter/producer Omar began as one of the U.K.'s most promising R&B hopefuls with his early-'90s international hit ‘There's nothing like this.’ However, unintentionally avoiding pop stardom, he chose never to compromise his artistic credibility, and because of that, people like India.Arie, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Gilles Peterson, and his biggest idol, Stevie Wonder, have all endorsed him as personal fans (with the prior three naming him as an influence). Although he gets thrown into the R&B category, Omar has no real definitive boundaries. In interesting new ways with each album, he has molded soul and urban music to fit his wide variety of influences, including ragga, hip-hop, funk, jazz-pop, rock, and Latin/Caribbean dance. Scratch Professor (no,...

Picture: Kim Reed One of the tracks is 'Sideway shuffle' by Linda Lewis. She started as a soulful folk singer (Minnie Riperton style), but became a pop/disco singer later on. She sang in the background choir of 'Make me smile' by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and she claims to have done the backing vocals on 'Do ya think I'm sexy' by Rod Stewart as well (both bands included guitar player Jim Cregan, then husband of Lewis). On my Facebook page she wrote that she's still waiting to be paid by Rod! I like the version of Icebear/Eisbär by French singer Petite Meller, but the one from Nouvelle Vague is nice too. The 1981 original is from Grauzone. It's a song about trying not to feel any pain. By the way, on the 27th of February it was International Polar Bear Day. Enjoy this mellow morning part of ‘ Groovy, sexy and soulful ’! Tracklist: Chico Hamilton ‎– Mysterious Maiden (1980) Ray Obiedo – Somebody (2015) Vaneese & Carolyn ‎...

Picture: Joan Smalls by Matt Jones for I-D Magazine October 2013 An automatic alarm turns my radio on… Spring is in the air, so it’s time for some fresh episodes of Smooth Sailing ! One of the tracks is 'On the radio' by Donna Summer, released in late-1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film 'Foxes' and included on Summer's first international compilation album 'On the radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II'. It came out as a single and became, in January 1980, her tenth top-ten hit in the U.S. as well as her eighth and final consecutive top five single. 'On the radio' peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the soul chart. Especially the lyrics about a message from an old boyfriend to his ex-lover over the radio are worth listening to: “Yeah, it kinda made me feel proud When I heard him say You couldn't find the words to say it yourself And now in my heart I know I ...

To quote Collage: 'We're groovin' on a Sunday afternoon!' Enjoy part 14 of Eddy's 80s Grooves ! Bronx native Angela Bofill (picture) sang with Ricardo Morrero & the Group and the Dance Theater of Harlem chorus before her 1978 debut. With her strong, distinctive alto, she has carved a niche as an outstanding interpreter of soul ballads. Between 1978 and 1984, Bofill had consistent success on the R&B charts, with six albums making the Top 40 (five of which made the Top 100 on the pop charts as well), including two, Angel of the Night (1979) and Too Tough (1983), that made the Top Ten. During this period, she also placed seven singles in the R&B Top 40, with 'Too tough' making the Top Ten. Bofill's career cooled off after 1984, but she returned to the R&B charts with Intuition (1988), I Wanna Love Somebody (1993), and Love in Slow Motion (1996). (source: Allmusic.com ). 'Holding out for love' reached #26 on the Billboard R&B ...