16 Sep Live at the Taste of Soul
On this Flash Back Friday I’m going back to the Taste of Soul. Where the food was delicious and music was funky and the people were so much fun. You might be able to catch me in the streets in October.
15 Sep “You Cheated” by The Shields
The time I was apart of The Shields
14 Sep Vents Magazine Reviews “Something To Make You Feel Good”
Read the full Review Here
“Answer to My Prayers” opens Something to Make You Feel Good on an extraordinarily solid note. It’s a light, relatively breezy blues prioritizing structure and melody over any guitar histrionics and Wright leaps out of the mix with tremendous engagement. He takes an audacious turn on “Apartment Living”, a hard-edged slab of funk with dense, layered instrumentation. “Looking for an Ugly Woman” has a stylish groove that takes over immediately and Wright rides it masterfully. The song has some obvious comedic qualities, but Wright’s songwriting artistry lies in the song’s subtle undertones only discerning listeners will pick up on. “She Don’t Believe In Love” hinges on the same songwriting model; it presents itself as one thing, but there’s an underside to the track that gives it added depth. “Happiness” blasts out with resounding energy that quickly captures listeners’ attention and the brass section boils over with vivid, forceful energy.
13 Sep Lyrics: Looking For An Ugly Woman
“LOOKING FOR AN UGLY WOMAN
By Charles Wright
On a roller coaster ride with this foxy little girl, who walked by my side and rocked my world. But she lied and cheated and I finally learned, can’t trust some people when your back is turned.
-CHORUS-
I’m looking for an ugly woman someone who’ll understand, looking for an ugly woman, who won’t disrespect her man.
Looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they think they’re smart. Looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they’ll break your heart.
Some people say wow! What a beautiful thing, awe! t
They don’t understand y’all, they can’t feel my pain. If they could see this from the other side, they’d see that beauty’s just going along for the ride.
I’m looking for an ugly woman yes I am, looking for an ugly woman frankly, I don’t give a damn. Looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they think they’re slick. Looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they’re full of sh—t!
.
-BRIDGE-
She ride around in a car with smokey window glass, she look sadity but she ain’t got an ounce of class!
Into my wallet, stole fifty bucks, into the casino; y’all, where she tried her luck. Why did you donthis, stoop so low, only thing she could tell me y’all was, “I just don’t know?”
-CHORUS-
I’m looking for an ugly woman yes I am, looking for an ugly woman frankly, I don’t give a damn. Looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they talk too fast, looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they can kiss my Unah!
-SOLO-
Unhun! Yeah! Yeah! Unah! Yeah! Unah! Ununh! Yeah! Yeah! Unah!
-BRIDGE-
Aw! She ride around in a car with smokey window glass, she looks sadity but she ain’t got an ounce of class!
4, I learned my lesson, I did discover, can’t judge a book not by the cover. I tell ya’, I forgave her a thousand times, I guess I never did in the back of my mind.
– CHORUS-
I’m looking for an ugly woman someone who’ll understand, looking for an ugly woman, who won’t disrespect her man.
Looking for an ugly woman, pretty women they think they’re slick, looking for an ugly woman, pretty women are full of tricks,
Ugly woman, pretty women will break your heart. Ugly woman, pretty women they think they’re smart. Looking for an ugly woman, pretty wimen they think they’re cute. I want an ugly woman, just to help me spend my loot.
-SOĹO-
Ah! Ha! I told you to be careful what you look for, now didn’t I!?
https://soundcloud.com/charleswrightmusic/looking-for-an-ugly-woman
12 Sep Have You Ever… Had to Live Next To A Pigpen?
What’s the craziest or most bizarre place you’ve found yourself calling home?
11 Sep The Original “Express Yourself” Music Video by Charles Wright
On this Soul Sunday I want to share the music video I made for “Express Yourself”
Beware of the many imitations and check out the real thing.
In these times, remember how important it is to EXPRESS YOURSELF. Use your voice to make change.
10 Sep Urban Music Scene Reviews “Up From Where We’ve Come”
Legendary Soul Singer Charles Wright Pens First in Series of Autobiographies, “Up from Where We’ve Come”
Read The Full Review Here
In the Preface to his book, Wright writes, “Some may consider these chapters a vital part of American history which has yet to be told in this particular fashion. “Truer words could not be spoken as the reader receives a series of history lessons from a firsthand account straight out of the memories of a most impressionable and observant youth. Through his hindsight insights as an older/wiser man, Charles Wright imparts knowledge, culture and context in each of the tome’s 56 chapters.
Through Wright’s eyes, the reader will meet his long put upon father, his wily but loving mother, his young brothers, sisters and cousins, and two different White land owners that overworked and underpaid them all with utmost disrespect to go around. While no one that studies history will find that surprising or enlightening, the personal portrait shared here makes it all the more poignant and real.
Along with the strife and struggles, however, are visions from a wide-eyed child of the natural world around him and the industrial changes happening on that very land. There’s the warmth and play of a family co-existing in a shabby home in spite of hard times. And then there’s a love story between a woman and a man that blossoms against all odds and challenges as they fight to understand each other, support each other and still find a way to romance each other.
“Up From Where We’ve Come” emerges as a triumphant and highly unique literary statement from a man whose music has already touched several generations of fans. So powerful are the stories that Wright has not one but four separate Forewords from supporters across the spectrum: California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Rock ’n’ Roll Originator Little Richard, acclaimed Broadcast Journalist Roland Bynum and renowned Music Educator Reggie Andrews.
06 Sep Sleeping Bag Studios Review “Something To Make You Feel Good”
Charles Wright – Something To Make You Feel Good – Album Review
Back again with Mr. Charles Wright venturing into solo-music aside from his role as leader of the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band – I was looking forward to what the man might come up with this time around. A highly-skilled musician, we had slightly mixed feelings on the lead-single “She Don’t Believe In Love” from his new album Something To Make You Feel Good when we checked that out a couple months or so back – but it wasn’t due to lack of skill or know-how, it was just an unexpected combination. After listening to Something To Make You Feel Good…I suppose those unexpected sounds & songs should have come at me a little more naturally this time around…but nope…Wright continues to surprise with the directions he’s taken on solo.
Much of that feeling…like how “Answer To My Prayers” begins…comes from the vocal-department. On the one hand, you’ll appreciate the freedom of expression in Wright’s music…on the other hand, you might find yourself wishing the notes, tones and production on said-vocals might match the strengths of the music more than they do. “Answer To My Prayers” was a great meter-stick to measure with and as the first song, naturally sets the impression for what we might hear on the record to follow. Wright sings with passion…and I like that…he’s missing a few tones and notes by more than a few inches wide of the mark…and that I didn’t like so much. It’s tough to evaluate someone like this that you know beyond the shadow of a doubt has an ear for music…it makes you question your own sanity as a reviewer really…makes you wonder if the music can be as spot-on as it is – what holds back Wright from staying in the studio for just an hour or two more to put in vocal performances that match the energy of the music?
Because LISTEN to the rhythm and groove of “Apartment Living” – and you’ll get what I’m saying. A track like this…with the music coming through so vibrant and strong…it deserves just as much time spent on those vocals as it does the music in my opinion. The bass-lines alone make “Apartment Living” worth the price of admission…great percussion tightly backing it up, same with the guitar notes – they’re sounding great too. When the vocals creep into the song, you can hear that slight addition into the atmosphere of the mix as well…which is usually an indication that they’re sitting just a bit too high up in the track. Using the repetition of its title, “Apartment Living” keeps the song simple by just using this one statement to act as the vocals and add additional rhythm to this second-cut on the record…and as a result of its sparseness, gains a few points by being driven strongly through the instrumentation.
05 Sep I Wonder If Gay People Are Gay By Choice?
Do people who are gay have a choice is the question, and if so why not chose to go straight? Because when you are different in America, you tend to come out on the loosing end. I find it hard to believe someone would walk into a nightclub and shoot a hundred people or more, simply because of their sexual orientation. It’s also difficult to understand how a person can walk into a church and kill practically everyone, as they knell down to pray.
So what has happened to us at the turn of this century,? Are we making progress or have we simply gone gun crazy? Are we so afraid until we actually believe we need weapons of mass destruction, to protect our homes? Why, other than the fact that some gun dealer is out to fill his pockets, would we need so much fire power?
Are we gearing up for another civil war? Why would we otherwise, be so afraid of each other?
We have an entire army to protect us in case things get out of hand, plus the National Guard and the most progressive police force in the entire universe. So why so many guns and who are we planning to aim them at? I know these are a lot of questions but it seems like this gun toting culture has already begun to slide on an awfully slippery slope. And frankly it’s beginning to make me wonder, what’s it all about?
And what’s going to happen when the children, who’ve been desensitized by all these vicious video games, grow up and inherit these lethal weapons. Has anybody thought about that? Well if not, it’s about time to get to thinking!
THOUGHTS? Express Yourself!