Thursday, March 10, 2011

Raphael Saadiq "Good Man" { Single } - 2011 Columbia Records


Raphael Saadiq returns with the first single,"Good Man", off the forthcoming album, and his fifth studio album overall, "Stone Rollin' ". The feel of the song falls in line with the '60's soul vibe that permeated our mind waves on the now classic, 2008 Grammy nominated album, "The Way I See It""Good Man" is a love angst number of a man wondering what went wrong in a relationship that turned horribly sour.

The track itself takes us back to an era when a string orchestra and rhythm section recorded their parts simultaneously live in the studio. The pulsating and high registered performed notes of the bass guitar, the 60's Motown-esque drum kit sound, and the echoed strummed licks of the classic Stratocaster guitar hold center stage here. Supplementing the rhythm section, you have the sweeping, melancholy, but yet, beautifully arranged string section. The harp runs adds a textural depth and dimension, as does the trumpets and trombones.  Not only can you hear the hurt in Raphael's singing, you can almost feel it.

Lyrics sung in a heart wrenching context will almost make one want to give him a hug and box of Kleenex, telling him, .... "Hey man, it's gonna be alright ! It's gonna be alright, just pull yourself together". How could you not with lines such as these :

"How could you ever walk away, after all I've done for you"  .....


"I feel like there's a knife in my back, babe. You might as well put it all the way through"

"I never been so humilated, I don't think that I deserve that from you"

What gives this song a contemporary feel though is the female Hip Hop inspired spoken word performance in the choruses. If this nostalgic leaning track is any indication of what the full length is going to sound like, then this sophomore Columbia Records release will, I feel, attract even more legions of fans in the same manner 2008's "The Way I See It" has done. To get a taste, check out the video below.

 I highly recommend you pick up this 2012 Grammy nominated album, which is due May 10th, 2011.

Musically Yours,

Ran Man

Raphael's Official Website : www.raphaelsaadiq.com

Sony Music's Official Website : www.sonymusic.com