BFF’s!!!
OK, so we’re not really best friends, but it looks like “Lonely Boy” Dan Humpfrey is actually more of a Soul Man. Between acts I got a chance to catch up with Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley. The Baltimore native told me that his first love was playing the piano and singing. I don’t know if I can handle watching Humpfrey croon, but just so you all can understand how exquisite his musical taste is, here are some excerpts from two recent emails I received from him:
Naeem—
Shit, I was so surprised you knew who I was. I’m still always a little surprised if anyone other than a 20-year-old girl recognizes me.
My favorite musicians:
1. D’Angelo and the whole Soulquarians collective of that time, 1997–2001. I’m pretty sure Anthony Hamilton was singing in D’s live band, the Soultronics. Erykah Badu, the Roots (other than Things Fall Apart, I’d rather see them live than listen to an album, as much as I love them all as musicians).
2. Also, a couple of musicians who played with D’Angleo in the studio & live who I’ve since explored and found as completely separate entities: Pino Palladino, Roy Hargrove, Charlie Hunter (that 8-string guitarist I was telling you about, gotta see him live to believe it).
3. I loved all the soulful hip hop going on then, with Mos, Talib Kweli & Hi-tek, Common. Really, 1999 and 2000 were it as far as I’m concerned. You had Train of Thought, Like Water for Chocolate, Black on Both Sides, Mama’s Gun, and The big bad Voodoo. I was absorbing those albums all throughout my teenage years, and I’m still finding things in them.
4. Owusu & Hannibal! One of my favorites, perfect example of where Soul/R&B can go, where it should be taken. Not all this Akon shit. If you’re going to use computers in soul music these guys know how to do it. The album is “Living With…”
5. Andrew Bird! This guy blew me away at Carnegie Hall, just this February. You must put this in there, he’s doing something amazing. When he plays solo and loops his own violin playing, it is intriguing, intense, emotional and beautiful and tense and sexy and I could watch it for hours. I think he needs to capture more of that energy in his records, because he’s doing himself an injustice… and his records are already great.
6. I love Prince, but that’s probably not a surprise.
7. You really do have to include Electric Ladyland. Hendrix is like the Beatles in the sense that a lot of his music, if you gave it to some neo-hipsters with a shiny new Brooklyn-indie package, people would be flipping out like they’d never heard it before.
8. Jamie Lidell’s great. Sorta retro-soul pop. Great live show. love Lykke Li right now, she is right up my alley.
9. I’m finally warming up to Animal Collective, I really like their vocal harmonies & layering.
10. Oh, Bjork. “Medulla” just kills me. I got the half-speed vinyl remaster. Wow.
There’s so much! If you put all this in a blog it would put people to sleep. You have my blessing to put any & all of it in there, though, this email included. I’m headed to Thailand tomorrow, but if I think of anything else between now and then I’ll send it your way…
