Daddy B. Nice’s Corner 2022 – news and opinion on Southern Soul RnB music and artists

September 12, 2022

Southern Soul News & Notes

Jeter Jones is putting the finishing touches on a new collection with the working title: “Shuga Hill Hwy. 84 Vol. 1”. Billy “Soul” Bonds has posted new songs on YouTube (see Daddy B. Nice’s Featured Artists for Sepember ’22) under the working titles “Memories” and “Bonding The Blues”. J-Wonn is publishing his newest album to be called “Mr. Right Now” (The Black Heart Series). The set brings together recent singles “Move On,” “Girl In The Mirror” and “The Thrill Is Gone”. Also be on the lookout for Willie Clayton’s new single, “Don’t Make Me Beg”…….

Grammy winner William Bell has just released a rare new single, a traditional blues called “One Day Closer To Home”. Lenny Williams has released a new single as well, and if you happen to hear Lenny’s “Weekday Blues” unattributed, you may take it for a new/unknown artist, as I mistakenly did listening to a newly-constructed playlist of just-arrived music on “shuffle” the other day. Theodis Ealey also released a straight blues project recently…….

This rush to old blues has engulfed Grammy winner Bobby Rush too. But what’s fascinating is this mysterious interaction with the white (or mass, or world) audience which happens when a black artist crosses over. The temptation is to give the mass audience what they think is the blues, in other words mid-20th-century American blues, which has achieved a revered status similar to jazz among white blues lovers, and pull back on the “grown folks” stuff (new music that would excite a black audience). It’s sad to think that the so-called white audience couldn’t have known and appreciated these stars in their primes, when they were lighting up the chitlin’ circuit with “Hoochie Mama” (Rush) and “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” (Bell)…..

Atlanta-based Jerry King’s latest blog, from Black Life Story (blacklifestory.com), delves into this dynamic in “The Emergence Of Southern Soul: The Next Music Wave?” And it’s written with the logic, sweetness and brevity to charm even the most biased, radio-programming bigwig…..

And speaking of “old school” in general, be sure to ask your favorite deejay to play Arthur Young’s newest single, a redo of Ronnie Lovejoy’s classic, “Sho’ Wasn’t Me”. Arthur’s version is called “This Time It Was Me”. Despite it being something of a downgrade (and who can blame him for that? it’s the #1 song in contemporary southern soul music) Arthur hews to the original, right down to the vocal arrangements. This is undoubtedly an “insider” record—you can’t really appreciate it unless you know “Sho’ Wasn’t Me”—but I found it to be one of Arthur Young’s most interesting and compelling efforts in recent memory……

J-Wonn appears on yet another record: a single by new artist F.P.J. called “If You Gone Pop It”. The video takes place in a bar where they obviously had a ladies’ night with cash incentives. The young women are getting drunk and twerking like there’s no tomorrow. Hold onto your hats, fellas. It’s a scene the “world” audience may have to put on the shelf for half a century before getting a taste……

Speaking of videos, why hasn’t Pokey Bear filmed a knockout of a video (like “My Sidepiece”) for his #1 summer single, “Here Come Pokey,” which continues to languish in the doldrums for YouTube views and presumably sales? I expected a video, possibly a remix, to put “Here Come Pokey” over in typically flashy, funny, Big Pokey style. Has our favorite Bear lost faith in the tune, or is something bigger lurking in the woods?…..

I’m listening to a new artist named S. Dott, who was recommended to me by concert promoter Mr. Mike of El Dorado, Arkansas, who is holding his last southern soul event of the year (The Last Dance) October 9th at Union County Fairgrounds (see Concert Calendar) starring T.K. Soul, J-Wonn, Lacee and The Jay Morris Group……

The S. Dott song is “Slow Wind,” and it features zydeco accordionist Koray Broussard. Listening to Broussard made me realize once again how much I’ve missed zydeco since the pandemic. Zydeco.com, the website that covered the cajun scene—primarily the concerts, flyers and ads—is gone, leaving a crater of nothingness…..

What’s going on in zydeco? Is it still happening? Websites are so important! Zydeco currently has no voice—no platform. But hold on! Schlepping around, googling this and that, I’ve found the new version of ZydecoEvents.com. There are tons of concerts, far more than pre-pandemic. It’s just like southern soul. Zydeco is thriving! Click and enjoy.

— Daddy B. Nice

September 3, 2022

TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES

An expanded list of the songs vying for “Top Ten Singles” in September 2022.

1. “Jukebox Lover (Remix)”—Tucka feat. King George
2. “Make Me Say It Again”—Beyonce, Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers
3. “She’s Running From Dick 2 Dick”—Billy “Soul” Bonds
4. “A Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed”—Bridget Shield
5. “Just Can’t Let Go”—Breeze MrDo2Much
6. “I Had To Lie”—Avail Hollywood
7. “Mr. Uber Man”—EPX (Eric Perkins)
8. “Good Ole Soul Music”—Sweet P
9. “Gonna Do Right”—T.K. Soul
10. “Southern Love”—Chi Jones

11. “Bouncing Back”—Solomon Thompson feat. David J
12. “Mr. Black”—Ms. Key
13. “Cheat Right”—Mz. Brown Suga
14. “Better With You”—Black Diamond
15. “Sunshine Lady”—L.J. Echols
16. “This Tongue Ain’t Got No Backbone”—Bill Avery
17. “$2 Live (Last Two Dollars)”—Banky Live
18. “Give Me That Love”—Royal D feat. Only One DShaw
19. “Meet Me In The Middle Of The Bed”—Billy “Soul” Bonds
20. “Dip Baby”—Poka Jones feat. Jeter Jones

21. “Work It”—West Love
22. “You Got That Love”—Stevie J. Blues
23. “Where’s The Beef?”—Kami Cole feat. King Fred
24. “So Hard To Move On”—Country Boy feat. T.K. Soul
25. “Juke Joint Woman”—Tha Big Dude
26. “Sleeping With The Enemy”—Sharnette Hyter
27. “Country Love”—Sweet T (Tondra Camp)
28. “Cornbread”—Lady J & Uncle Gymini
29. “In Da Mood”—Sheila B. Sexi & Zhocolate feat. Dre Holloman
30. “Call Me”—Neal “Skieebo” Wyms

31. “Just A Little Bit”—L.J. Echols
32. “Looking For My Baby”—David Walker
33. “Turn My Life Around”—J. Dallas
34. “Come Party With Me”—Royal D
35. “Jackson, Mississippi”—El’ Willie
36. “Roll That Monkey”—Volton Wright feat. Dubble G
37. “Mr. Woo At The Spot”—Mr. Woo
38. “Covid 19”—Billy “Soul” Bonds
39. “You Better Be Jody”—T.K. Soul & Rodney X
40. “The Last Time”— Portia P