First Listen: Robert Paladino gives us an instant classic

pryers

First Listen: Robert Paladino gives us an instant classic

(February 22, 2018) Technology has shrinking the world since humanity invented the wheel and learned how to domesticate the horse – and probably even before that. That shrinkage now occurs at break neck speed – thanks to computers and the internet. We in the music world sometimes lament these changes when technology allows an off-key singer to sing in perfect harmony at the press of a button or when producers create music filled with beats and sample – but no soul with the use of computers and synthesizers.

Technology also opens up a world of possibilities and connections. Singers, drummers, keyboardists, trumpeters and guitarists sitting in studios in different parts of the world can record the separate parts, e-mail, or Dropbox them to a producer or sound engineer who puts the parts together to create a song. Sometimes, that effort results in a processed, Frankenstein monster sounding mess. And sometimes, it sounds like a glorious throwback to the days of Stax or Motown, like the Robert Paladino creation, “Cause My Lover’s Gone,” an early release from the March 1 project (also a two sider including “You Ain’t Changed” will be available on 7″ vinyl in the future). This U.S. to U.K. project found the lead vocalist Johnny Boy Pryers and backup singers Babalola and Pryers laying down their parts while Paladino watched from a stateside hookup. The horn parts were added in America. Give it a listen, and you’ll come away thinking they were all in the same place at the same time. Ain’t technology great.

Howard Dukes

Robert Paladino feat. Johnny Boy Pryers
“Cause My Lover’s Gone”

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