Today we’re crate digging for some lost soul records that never really got their shine. I’ve got three picks from three different corners of the map: Bay Area legend Darondo with his smooth groove, North Carolina’s Brief Encounter delivering low-rider soul at its finest, and Panamanian-born Ralph Weeks with a lost ballad that only recently resurfaced. All of these songs are perfect for your laidback Sunday afternoon.
Let’s get into it!
Thank You God - Darondo
If you listen to hip hop then you’ve most likely heard Darondo whether you know it or not. His classic, Didn’t I has been sampled in over 60+ hip hop records. It’s one of those songs where the second you hear it you’re like, “Oh yeah I know this!”
According the inter-webs, people thought that he was pimp and rightfully so…Darondo walked around in a white fur coat, snakeskin shoes and drove a Roll Royce with custom “DARONDO” plates. Sounds like a legend if you ask me.
Anyways, enjoy this laid back groove for your Sunday afternoon..
Where Will I Go - Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter was a North Carolina soul group that never made it farther than local acclaim but had some dope deep cuts. This track was recorded in the late ’70s but didn’t see a proper release until Athens of the North pressed it in 2018. Before that, the song only existed as a whisper in soul collector circle and half-leaked on a Japanese compilation album with missing channels.
The song itself is pure low-rider soul magic with slow-burning, tender, and heavy with emotion. It sits in that sweet spot where Southern soul balladry meets the kind of cruising soundtrack you’d hear floating out of a car window on a warm night.
Expression of Affection — Love, Warmth & Affection
In 1973, Panamanian-born musician Ralph Weeks self-released Expression of Affection on his tiny Week-End Records label. Only 500 copies were pressed, recorded with his group Love, Warmth & Affection at Dynamic Studio in New Haven. Weeks wrote, produced, and played on the track himself, but it slipped into obscurity until collectors started hunting it down decades later. In 2021, the Brooklyn label Names You Can Trust reissued it as part of their Panama Gold Series, giving new life to a lost soul ballad that feels as raw and genuine today as it did 50 years ago.
Quote of the Day
“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between”
Video of the Day
Mass Appeal has an awesome series called Rhythm Roulette where they take an iconic producer to a record store, blindfold them, have them choose a few records then they sample them and make a beat. It’s a great series that highlights the creativity of the masterminds behind music. This episode is with the legend, 9th Wonder, who has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Destiny’s Child, Drake, Raekwon, Mary J Blige and so many others.
Photo of the Day
I love an image that perfectly captures the energy of a moment on stage. You can almost see the sound visually which is so awesome. The photo is of the Sam & Dave horn section during a performance in the late 60’s.
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