Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and the Longevity of Soul
Switched on Pop27 Heinä 2021

Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and the Longevity of Soul

In this installment of Modern Classics we speak to the amazing four-time Grammy Nominee musician, singer and songwriter Yola about her new record, Stand For Myself, and how hearing Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and all its references to 1970s funk encouraged Yola to unlock her own unprecedented mix of symphonic soul and classic pop. As Yola tells it, it’s not just a sound from the past that she’s conjuring, it’s a sense of possibility. The way that progenitors like Funkadelic, Minnie Ripperton, and the O'Jays combined political protest with deep grooves, what Yola calls “the Mary Poppins philosophy of music” (the groove being the spoonful of sugar to help the socially-conscious medicine go down). With this marriage of sound and statement, Yola makes retro sounds relevant again, as on the title track “Stand For Myself,” where she uses throwback slap bass, fuzz guitar, and orchestral strings to craft a distinctly modern messages about her identity as a Black woman, cultural allyship, and UK politics. Also, why she likes mixes that sound like they have a “big old booty.” Songs Discussed Yola - Stand For Myself, Diamond Studded Shoes, Starlight, Barely Alive, Be My Friend, If I Had to Do it All Again Childish Gambino - Redbone, Riot Bootsy Collins - I’d Rather Be With You Funkadelic - Can You Get to That The O’Jays - Back Stabbers Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jaksot(523)

Will Sinners do for blues what O Brother did for bluegrass?

Will Sinners do for blues what O Brother did for bluegrass?

It's the middle of award season, and Ryan Coogler's ode to the Black music canon Sinners has emerged as the Oscars frontrunner and the most nominated film in Academy Awards history. The love the movie...

17 Helmi 51min

Jazz is A$AP Rocky’s secret weapon

Jazz is A$AP Rocky’s secret weapon

A$AP Rocky’s latest album, Don’t Be Dumb, is a wild ride through a cacophony of sounds — punk, industrial, drum ‘n’ bass, indie rock, and of course, hip hop. But on one track, “Robbery,” he and the ri...

10 Helmi 35min

Does humor belong in music?

Does humor belong in music?

What makes Weird Al songs so indelible? Why is Bo Burnham more than just a comic? How do the biggest pop hits make us crack up in the middle of a somber ballad? Humor is always present in music, but w...

3 Helmi 48min

And the Grammy goes to…

And the Grammy goes to…

The ultimate gauntlet of popular music is upon us once again: it's Grammy season, and this year, the competition is pretty tight across the board. Big ticket A-listers like Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpente...

27 Tammi 52min

Robyn’s new songs bring “drum 'n' grace” to the dance floor

Robyn’s new songs bring “drum 'n' grace” to the dance floor

Swedish pop star Robyn emerged as a phenomenon in the mid 1990s, an ingenue whose work with Max Martin presaged the R&B crossover hits of acts like Britney and the Backstreet Boys. Since her debut, sh...

21 Tammi 46min

Audrey Hobert says the quiet part out loud

Audrey Hobert says the quiet part out loud

Two years ago, Audrey Hobert had never written a song. She was a staff writer on a Nickelodeon series and had recently moved in with her childhood friend Gracie Abrams in Los Angeles. About six months...

13 Tammi 55min

2026 Pop Predictions: big beat, animated avatars, and Bruno Mars

2026 Pop Predictions: big beat, animated avatars, and Bruno Mars

It’s a brand new year, and what better way to ring it in than with the second annual Switched On Pop bingo? Like last year, Charlie, Nate, and Reanna polish their crystal balls and play Popstradamus, ...

6 Tammi 58min

The Sound of Silence from Unexplainable

The Sound of Silence from Unexplainable

A scientist asked people to sit in a silent room for 15 minutes. Almost half of them decided to give themselves a painful electric shock instead. What is it about our brains that makes our relationshi...

30 Joulu 202530min

Suosittua kategoriassa Viihde

anni-jaajo
tuplakaak
grekovit
hei-baby-3
terveisia-perheesta
the-harlin-show
antin-palautepalvelu
dear-shirly
bella-table
antin-elokuvakerho
nonsensepodi
dear-shirly-ja-arttu
verhon-takaa
get-jassud
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
tahtitehdas
hollywood-love-stories-2
everypodi
tervo-halme
rss-wivolinin-viisukevat