Got to have it. Soul Power!

I watched the documentary Soul Power recently (like three hours ago) and while the documentary wasn't all that special, the music it documented was AMAZING. If you don't know, the doc is about a music festival that took place in Zaire in 1974, featuring the top black musicians of the 70's and headlined by the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown.

The highlight of the performances, which were all fantastic, had to be Bill Withers' subtle but powerful "Hope She'll Be Happier," which you can watch below. I was familiar with Bill Withers' work only for "Lovely Day," which I downloaded to set as the ringtone for a girl I was dating, and it was credited in my iTunes as "Billy" Withers. After a little searching, I found that he is also the source of the classics "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Use Me." I love it when I discover awesome music that anyone over 40 would take for granted, but is totally new to me. A few years ago it was Fleetwood Mac, last year it was Cat Stevens. This year, it's Soul. Do yourself a favor and watch this performance by Mr. Withers.

Bill Withers from Jesse Thorn on Vimeo.

A few more treats: