Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five Bonus Edition: A Tribute to Billy Paul

As if losing Prince on Thursday wasn't hard enough, now one of my favorite soul singers in Philly native Billy Paul has passed away at the age of 81.  For years, I only knew about three songs of his--one of which was his most popular in the 1972 across-the-board smash hit, "Me And Mrs. Jones".  However, around the time that my fascination with everything Philly soul began in 2003, that's when I doubled up and purchased two of his greatest hits albums because 1) many of his full-length albums were either hard to find or out of print and 2) one album had one or two more songs that the other didn't.  Although he had a very unique delivery, his jazzy style on songs like "Ebony Woman", "Love Buddies", "Let's Fall In Love All Over Again" and "There's a Small Hotel" always put me in the mindset of smoky nightclubs, stiff drinks and a grand piano.  Spending the first 13 years of his recording career working with legendary producers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, they crafted their sound around what he did best and didn't try to make his music sound too much like the rest of the Philadelphia International Records roster.  That's a huge amount of the reason why I fooled with him so tough because he wasn't like anyone else that they had in their stable of greatness.  So to pay tribute to his legacy, I present an impromptu "Rave & Favorite Five" celebrating Paul's music...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: R&B Bands, #2 Earth, Wind & Fire

Everybody has a top five list of something.  Sports cars...TV girlfriends...sitcoms...rom-coms...cartoon characters...sneakers...candy bars...you think of it and I guarantee that you have it.  Even if you have to sit around and think of it for hours on end like the madman that you are, you can come up with several lists nevertheless.  Because I am that obsessive madman-slash-nerd, I have been pondering for the past week as many top five lists as I possibly can and I'm nowhere near finished.  My formula is very simple: if I'm stuck on an island for at least the next five years and I'm only stuck with five particular people, artists, albums, songs, movies and the like, then these are the five that I choose pursuant to the subject.  Note that there will be times when I break down the technical quality less often than I will speak on how the subject of my affection makes me feel or transports me to a certain place and time.  Hence, I bring you my new weekly series, "Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five", and begin with my favorite R&B bands of all time.

In a time when it seems like people in the spotlight and even producers often prefer to be lone rangers, listening to a good band reminds me of the beautiful synergy that can occur between different personalities to make one sweet sound.  There are very few bands in the annals of music history who have made music at the elite level of harmonious fusion as Earth, Wind & Fire.  With legends like Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Dionne Warwick hailing EWF as their favorite band of all time, it's hard to deny their spirited sound, vivid imagery and cultural influence.  Now, the most astute reader might have noticed their rank and thought two things: 1) why are you doing your No. 2 band before your bottom three and 2) if Earth, Wind & Fire is your No. 2, then who the heck can you possibly have as your No. 1?  First, considering that the late, great Maurice White passed away last Thursday at the age of 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, I had to disrupt the order a bit.  Second, you'll have to wait until the March 10th edition of New Problem Tuesdays to find out who's the top dawg.  Anyways, with a catalog of music that spans over 40 years, there are so many great songs from which to choose, but it was fairly easy to do so.  Without further ado, let's see what songs make my cut...