Tuesday, December 07, 2021

Celebrating the Proverbial “Soulman”


Something very special this evening. . . . It’s the music video for Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri’s wistful “Sidesteppin’ (With A Soulman),” one of a number of standout tracks from their 2013 album, A Place Where I Can Go.

Reviewer Brian Penn writes that “Sidesteppin’ (With A Soulman)” is a “moving tribute to the late Jimmy Ruffin” (right).

As you’ll see, the music video also pays tribute to a number of other great male “soul” singers, including Marvin Gaye (above), Stevie Wonder, and Daryl Hall & John Oates.




What does it take to let your guard down
Contemplate there is something good around
A sweet union in a wave of sound
Inspiration from a higher ground

Nothing compares to when the sparks fly
Your something in the universe
And your light still shines
in the music and the words

I’m side steppin’ with a soulman, a soulman
Hips swaying to the oldest dance around,
with a soulman . . .



About the phenomenal Kiki Dee, Brian Penn writes:

Where do I start a review for the Queen of British Rhythm ‘n’ Blues? Kiki won her first recording contract in 1963 but, inexplicably, a run of singles missed out on the charts. She later became the first British artist ever signed to Tamla Motown. An album called Great Expectations followed but still no commercial success for Kiki. Elton John saw her potential and signed her to his Rocket label in the mid ’70s. This proved to be her most fruitful period in the charts, duetting with Elton on “Don’t Go Breaking my Heart,” a chart topper in the UK and US. Solo she hit with “Amoureuse” and “I’ve Got the Music In Me,” both cracking the Top 20. Following starring roles in the West End [most notably in Blood Brothers], Kiki teamed up with Carmelo Luggeri in the ’90s, producing three albums [The Walk of Faith, Where Rivers Meet, and A Place Where I Can Go] and a highly respected live show.


Related Off-site Link:
50 Years in the Business for Kiki Dee to Culminate With London Show – Daniel Falconer (Female First, February 25, 2014).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri
Amoureuse

Previously featured musicians at The Wild Reed:
Dusty Springfield | David Bowie | Kate Bush | Maxwell | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Prince | Frank Ocean | Maria Callas | Loreena McKennitt | Rosanne Cash | Petula Clark | Wendy Matthews | Darren Hayes | Jenny Morris | Gil Scott-Heron | Shirley Bassey | Rufus Wainwright | Kiki Dee | Suede | Marianne Faithfull | Dionne Warwick | Seal | Sam Sparro | Wanda Jackson | Engelbert Humperdinck | Pink Floyd | Carl Anderson | The Church | Enrique Iglesias | Yvonne Elliman | Lenny Kravitz | Helen Reddy | Stephen Gately | Judith Durham | Nat King Cole | Emmylou Harris | Bobbie Gentry | Russell Elliot | BØRNS | Hozier | Enigma | Moby (featuring the Banks Brothers) | Cat Stevens | Chrissy Amphlett | Jon Stevens | Nada Surf | Tom Goss (featuring Matt Alber) | Autoheart | Scissor Sisters | Mavis Staples | Claude Chalhoub | Cass Elliot | Duffy | The Cruel Sea | Wall of Voodoo | Loretta Lynn and Jack White | Foo Fighters | 1927 | Kate Ceberano | Tee Set | Joan Baez | Wet, Wet, Wet | Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy | Fleetwood Mac | Jane Clifton | Australian Crawl | Pet Shop Boys | Marty Rhone | Josef Salvat | Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri | Aquilo | The Breeders | Tony Enos | Tupac Shakur | Nakhane Touré | Al Green | Donald Glover/Childish Gambino | Josh Garrels | Stromae | Damiyr Shuford | Vaudou Game | Yotha Yindi and The Treaty Project | Lil Nas X | Daby Touré | Sheku Kanneh-Mason | Susan Boyle | D’Angelo | Little Richard | Black Pumas | Mbemba Diebaté | Judie Tzuke | Seckou Keita | Rahsaan Patterson | Black | Ash Dargan | ABBA | The KLF and Tammy Wynette


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