When I was in like 12th grade? I had a mixtape called "MAKE OUT" that was literally 2 hours of make out music. Oh man I totally have to find it because it is a WINRAR and features not only retrospectively great make out music (soul/ella & louie/portishead) but also some cringe-inducing not-aging-well timepieces too (DJ Shadow, Ani Difranco? There must have been). Also it was when I was like just beginning to make decisions about buying music so a lot of the songs were super obvious. It was like "NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MAKING OUT WITH AN ASIAN VOLUME 1!" Track 1 Side 1 however, was Otis Redding's "These Arms Of Mine," which I still stand by. He's literally crying over how bad he wants to make out with you!

In fact, Otis Redding is so inarguably the man that anyone who attempts to argue otherwise needs to be bludgeoned to death and have his/her grave stomped/pee'd on. My only real standard for judging soul singers is how well they straddle the duality of fire in the belly and hands in the air screeching VS soft quiet times my heart is slowly breaking because girl you don't understand how much I hate/love you.

By that measure, James Brown is also inarguably the man but I mean that has been proven so consistently empirically (wow an adverb can apparently modify an adverb) that he's bordering on Led Zeppelin/Bob Marley/Jimi Hendrix territory.

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I shit on Bob Marley often, usually resorting to the argument that it's nothing inherently against his music but what his music has become. Basically,

Bob Marley = Bob Marley's music = what is playing when beer-chugging cargo pants do bong rips and rape

I also make this argument against Jimi Hendrix. Saki who is a noted genius said that most people like me who make this argument would have a significantly less strong foothold if only Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix wore form-fitting suits. This is actually totally true and in fact reveals the artifice of my opinions. If Bob Marley wore an awesome black suit and tie I would not make fun of him at all.
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Charles Wright also does this, except I think he's more into social equality/racial unity than about getting sweet sweet lady action. This raises the Scott Pilgrim quandary: does this mean he's on the moral high ground, or just a pussy?

I SAY THAT TO SAY THIS (worst transition ever)

In order to qualify the best soul singer, you have to qualify both sides of their soulitude, ie their belly fire and their why god why fire (be it relative to scorned love or ending racism). To that end, I will still stand by "These Arms Of Mine" for Otis' Why God Why side, and also state that this is his best Lawd Get Off Your Feet And Stomp side:

OTIS REDDING ~ I CAN'T TURN YOU LOOSE (punker than fuck live version)

When you listen to it, note the distorted everything! It's like Strychnine but with even more blown out horns!



BONUS (in british accent) BARNSTORMER!
Merry Clayton ~ Gimme Shelter

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