March 2nd, 2010 – I thought I’d start a new segment with recommendations of classic albums that you might not have heard yet, but really should. The albums don’t need to necessarily be old, but they do have to have that “classic” quality that transcends time. They can be any genre, but I thought that today, I’d start off the series keeping the classic feel in mind.
Donny Hathaway is, in my opinion, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He was also one of the best soul singers and an awesome keyboardist. Unfortunately, as with many great artists, he suffered from mental illness and committed suicide just as his success was ramping up again.
Today’s album that I’m recommending is “These Songs for You, Live!” which was a live intimate concert recorded in LA. It was released on CD in 2004. You get to hear just how great Donny Hathaway was live. His keyboard style is often imitated, and his smooth vocal delivery was what many of today’s artists were weaned on. “These Songs for You, Live!” is my favorite of his released recordings and it includes a previously unreleased cover of the Beatle’s “Yesterday” which is fantastic. I’ve embedded below a pretty cool series on him below if you’d like to find out more.
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