Raphael Saadiq

I've been dancing with abandon in socked feet across my hardwood floored hallway, and it's all because of this guy.

Raphael Saadiq is no stranger to the scene, with forays of touring with Prince in his teens and collaborating with some of the biggest R&B/soul names in the business {Lucy Pearl, Tony! Toni! Toné!, etc}. He's a producer, singer, songwriter, guitar thrasher and instant vintage. Did you watch the Grammys? Did you see Mick Jagger's performance? Did you wonder who the fresh-faced, bespectacled chap in the cardigan hot-heeling it across the stage was? Well, three guesses and the first two don't count.

Stone Rollin', released yesterday, is all late 60's soulful Stevie Wonder orchestration and retro-distressed lyrics. Reach out and The Four Tops will be there. Sashay your modern high-waisted flares while bobbing your old school head. The album is solid from top to bottom, taking you from the assured swagger of "Good Man" to wig-out twisting of "Radio." Sweet and favored "Go To Hell," with it's ghostly Greek Chorus and soaring strings, was track two and all it took to book two tix to see Saadiq at LGBG later this month. If you need a little more convincing, stream the whole album here.

Raphael Saadiq // Go To Hell
Raphael Saadiq // Heart Attack