Raphael Saadiq: Neo-Motown, Smile Inducing Music for the Warm Weather

Raphael Saadiq, Cosmopolite 2009. Foto: NRK P3.

I suppose one cannot technically be “Motown” without being signed to the Motown label (now rolled into Universal), but singer, songwriter, and producer Charley Wiggins (a.k.a. Raphael Saadiq) has a fantastic sound I associate with Motown legends like The Temptations, Diana Ross, The Four Tops, and the Supremes. Though his latest album, The Way I See It, came out just last year, its upbeat nature, use of horns and tambourines, and infectious vocals remind me of my favorite oldies station from back home. He has been grabbing a gratuitous percentage of my music playing these last few weeks as spring breaks in Baltimore, and I highly recommend his album to any and all music lovers out there.

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