Summery Soul For A Winter's Day Posted by Junior

The Staple Singers: Let's Do It Againand Chase From: Let's Do It Again [Curtom, 1975] Man, I woke up early this morning to find it bitterly cold and snowing outside. After trudging through this and the biting wind I then had to go through the process of almost losing an eye about five times from fools who use their umbrellas as offensive weapons. All this just to go to work. After this excellent start to the day I needed a certified mood improver and what better way to brighten my world than some smoothed out seventies summery soul from the Curtom label courtesy of The Staple Singers and Curtis Mayfield. Composed as the soundtrack to Let's Do It Again, Bill Cosby's follow up movie to Uptown Saturday Night, Mayfield's production offers up a funky blend of soul from the gospel quartet. The title song from the album, Let's Do It Again, was a massive track for the Staple Singers, bagging them a number 1 and one of their biggest hits of a 50 year career. What propels this track above many similar songs of the time is the power present in Mavis Staple's voice, there's a raw edge to her vocals that adds that extra oomph to Mayfield's reliably great production. The album version is longer than those offered on many compilations giving you an extra minute or two of pleasure. Chase, an instrumental piece from the album, is credited to Mayfield and his band and bears all the hallmarks of a piece from his more famous soundtrack compositions with blazing trumpets and smooth strings over lush percussion. Put this on and it can be summer in your head even while your fingers and toes are turning blue from the cold. I would type more but my fingers have just gone numb. Thank god for the funk on a day like today.