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Modern Day Motown Soundalikes

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I need to put a playlist together for a house party. The invitees are predominately of a certain age. Previously, Motown has hid the spot perfectly. This time, I thought I’d drag them out of the Sixties and Seventies. However, I need Motownalike tunes to succeed.

Please help!

I’ll start with one that must sound like Motown because a court found the writers guilty of plagiarising Marvin Gaye. (Don’t worry, the video is the ‘clean’ version.)

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Comments

  3. The Allergies might be worth a go. They’re on Spotify and “Push On” is a decent start point, though the new single (“Entitled to That”) is even better but unfortunately not out for a couple of weeks yet.

      • I saw her in Paris once. I’d seen a lot of serious singer/songwriters hunched over acoustic guitars at the time, but Lisa came on all full show with big band, backing singers, cozzie changes etc. She has a big gay following there – to hear the entire audience singing “I may not be a lady – but I’m all woman” at the tops of their voices was superb.

    • Candie Payne was ace but got caught up in the ‘new Amy’ marketing nonsense. I tried to book her for a gig once but she’d just been dropped by her label. She’s still gigging in a duo, or was last I heard.

    • The AW is a site where 60 years ago is yesterday!
      This came out last month, ya grouch. Channelling the “conscious” albums of the early 70s – which is also the Motown sound.

      (Cody Chesnutt – Bullets In The Street And Blood)
      Mind, if sounding a bit like Stevie is the idea, I’d take “Everything Is Everything” off The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

  28. All kept at a nice tempo for the “mature crowd”…

    Good call on the Jamie Lidell – there’s also this belter.

    Mayer Hawthorne – The Walk: one of the few records to contain the line “your shitty fucking attitude…”

    Amy’s “Tears dry on their own”? Think she had to pay Ashford and Simpson royalties for ripping them off – great track through.

    Some 70s sounding stuff – there’s a James Jamerson style bass lurking here and there – and both from last couple of years.

    And this – could easily drop into a Marvin 70s album – Leon Ware on production.

  43. An outsider, perhaps: Johnny Boy – You Are the Generation that Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve:

    David McAlmont – Look At Yourself:

    James Dean Bradfield: That’s No Way To Tell A Lie:

    • Brilliant work , Tigger! I am really looking forward to giving this a good listen, not to mention trying it out on the dancefloor.

      I was amused by Junior’s comment above. It’s true! I do enjoy putting together a Spotify list. But why should I have all the fun?

      I’m feeling a little frustrated that I have not unearthed more on Motown’s influence on pop music n the non-Anglophone world. But I am on the case. Tomorrow I will hopefully find a Tibetan Motown reboot for your liustening pleasure.

  47. Should you need evidence to demonstrate how “with it” and “left field” you are, Tigger, you could do a lot worse than dropping this little 20 minute nugget on them which is also, coincidentally, 20 years old, only!

    Don’t fret, it’s shortenable/ fadeable. Amazing record, the Motown credentials would be the marvellous, Gladys-like sweet soul voice. Then it swoops into Michael Henderson-era funk Miles territory before doing proggy electro machine-driven rhythms, but lithe and lithely, that still sound like the future. Full of hooks and pop smarts too, everybody deserves to hear this. Goldie.

  51. One more of the “can’t believe it hasn’t been mentioned yet” type, although it is a bit on the slow side to be fair.

    Stooshe – Black Heart

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