Despite being immensely popular, the unique sound that is associated with late 60’s / early 70’s soul was relatively short lived. Like Latin being replaced by Italian and Spanish, the soul sound of that time was overshadowed and eventually drowned beneath the waves of disco and pop R&B in the late 70’s and early 80’s. At a very early age, my parents cursed me with a love of classic soul, and like many fans, I have been left to listen to the same recordings over and over without ever expecting to hear something new from the genre.

Until now.

In the past year or so, I’ve been lucky enough to catch a resurgence in the funk/soul sound thanks to the musicians over at Daptone Records. The Brooklyn based label has a soul / funk lineup that does an excellent job of creating catchy tunes that sound like they could’ve been recorded 40 years ago in a small Motown studio. As someone who has a soft spot for old soul, having new recordings that capture the feel of the music of that time is really pretty cool.

The other day, I was looking for something to listen to while I mowed the lawn, and happened to throw on Binky Griptite’s Ghetto Funk Power Hour, a promotional CD that came with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings’ 100 Days, 100 Nights. Considering that most promotional CD’s aren’t worth the plastic they’re stamped on, it’s unusual for me to make it all the way through one without the skip button leveling harassment charges against my thumb. I was completely surprised that while working in the yard, I had listened to the power hour a full three times in a row without a single skip.

Once I could get to a PC, I headed to the Daptone website to check out some of the groups that I had heard, and noticed that the Ghetto Funk Power Hour is available for free download. If you’re into that classic funk / soul sound, the Ghetto Funk Power Hour is a single MP3 that includes 27 tracks from Daptone artists (like Sharon Jones) that are sure to satisfy those soul / funk cravings. You might even find a new band or two to get into.

Enjoy!

Download Binky Griptite’s Ghetto Funk Power Hour

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