Days like today we all need a tune to keep us going. Today, for me, that tune is Skin I'm In, from Sly Stone's 1973 album Fresh.
It's almost impossible for me to overstate how important Sly and the Family Stone is. They were more than funk pioneers and pop superstars. Sly led a band that mixed both race and gender in the 60's. He wrote music that had such a huge impact culturally that lines from his songs became everyday sayings ("different strokes for different folks" is one of his). His songs faced the serious issues of racism and bigotry with hope and funky horn lines. His bass player (Larry Graham) even popularized the "slap bass" technique that has become synonymous with the funk sound. Sly Stone is a big, big deal.
Skin I'm In is a fantastic example of slow-groove funk. There's a short build on bass and organ until... bam! The vocal delivery here is somehow both pleading and defiant. Hope, something this band managed to convey on almost every track they ever recorded, comes in the form of short horn breaks after each verse.
I honestly can't say much more besides LISTEN TO THIS SONG! And this album, and this band. It will definitely help you get over nasty weather.
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