"Across 110th Street"

Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street" is one of my favorite songs from the 1970's blaxploitation cinema era. It is an incredible tune that's been jangling around in my head for the past several days. It ranks right up there with the works of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield from the same time period. Exceptional, smooth sounding funk and soul. You may recognize this song from the opening credits of Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown". I hope to watch the original movie it came from, "Across 110th Street", very soon. In the meantime, here's the song for your enjoyment.

FISHBONE: "TRUTH AND SOUL"

Fishbone's "Truth and Soul"(1988) is possibly Fishbone's greatest release. On this album Fishbone perfectly brings together elements of ska, funk, soul, rock, and metal. From the opening notes of their cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead", you know these guys mean business. The upbeat ska of "Ma and Pa" and the gut wrenching, downer soul-meets-reggae of "Pouring Rain" are the highlights of this album to me, but all tracks are excellent. The only Fishbone album that comes close to over shadowing this one would be their gigantic sounding follow-up "The Reality of My Surroundings". For some reason I prefer "Truth and Soul" though. Maybe because it's the first Fishbone album I ever heard. Anyway, check it out. It's easy to find and dirt cheap ($6.99 US at Amazon).

Click here to listen to "Ma and Pa".