Curtis Harding
Matt Correia

Culture

Monday Mix: Curtis Harding, SASAMI, Cat Power

By Ray Gill, Jr. (OPB)
Nov. 29, 2021 1 p.m.

Kickstart the week with three new songs hand-picked for your playlist.

Curtis Harding — “I Won’t Let You Down”

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Atlanta-based artist Curtis Harding has released his third solo album “If Words Were Flowers” which includes soul-drenched performances like “I Won’t Let You Down.” This track truly harkens back to the classic sound of the early days of the genre. It’s brought to life by a choir of backup singers and Harding’s groovy, effortless vocal delivery and strengthened by a steady rhythm and horn section.


SASAMI — “The Greatest”

Sasami Ashworth (aka, SASAMI) is set to release a new record, “Squeeze,” on Feb. 25, but listeners have already gotten a sneak peak with the song “The Greatest.” In a statement she described its lyrics as being “about how often the greatest, heaviest feelings we have for someone are in the absence of the realization or reciprocation of that love.” The song’s instrumentation matches that weighty theme as it creeps in with a distorted guitar intro before opening up and filling the room alongside Ashworth’s beautiful vocals.


Cat Power — “Bad Religion”

Chan Marshall is no stranger to reinterpretation. The musician, who has performed under the moniker Cat Power since the early ‘90s, released an entire album of cover songs nearly twenty years ago (to critical acclaim). Now, Cat Power is set to release a follow-up to that project in early 2022, which includes a version of Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion.” Marshall first began performing the song on tour in 2018 record. The artist said she was attracted to Ocean’s work by the intense sadness she felt after singing one of her own songs, “In Your Face.” “That song was bringing me down,” Marshall recently said. “So I started pulling out lyrics from ‘Bad Religion’ and singing those instead of getting super depressed.” Cat Power’s stripped down performance matches the angelic effect of the original version, but replaces church organ with heavenly harmonies to amazing effect.


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Tags: Culture, Music