(August 26, 2020) Soul music’s greatness comes from the ability of the genre and its practitioners to use the language and imagery of agape to address the topic of eros. That duality explains why legendary soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack came from the church. They understood the intersections between Christian love and romantic love.
The legendary funk band Tower of Power must have heard that soulful power in the voice of Larry Braggs, and that explains why he joined the long list of great vocalists who fronted that band since its formation 50 plus years ago. Braggs’ also served for a spell as the lead vocalist of The Temptations, and he has worked with a who’s who of musicians, ranging from David Sanborn to Marcus Miller to The Winans and George Duke.
His new song, “Confessions,” is a classic example of the fusion of the passions of the sacred and secular that creates a tune that reminds us that surrender to romantic love has the same life changing power as giving oneself to religious passion. Singing over a slow, driving funky beat, Braggs is both a preacher bringing the message and a convert washed clean by the power of love. Check out “Confessions” here.
By Howard Dukes
Larry Braggs – “Confessions”
