Nick’s picks

1. Robert Johnson – “Hell Hound On My Trail” 
2. Mahalia Jackson – “How I Got Over – Live”
3. Gil Scott-Heron – “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

Robert Johnson is the king of the delta blues. Johnson was known to be a terrible musician. During breaks in other people’s sets, he would take their instruments and play until he got kicked off stage by his fellow musicians. Every night, Johnson would take the stage and get booed off. One night he vanished, and upon his return months later, Johnson was devilishly good at the blues. As his short career went on, he sang stories about how he sold his soul to the devil, most notoriously, “Crossroad Blues.” For me though, the epitome of Johnson’s music is “Hell Hound On My Trail.” “Hell Hound On My Trail” features Johnson’s virtuous acoustic guitar playing and his howling voice. Johnson’s love of dark imagery is here too. He sings of a hell hound following him, the darkness it brings and his “sweet woman,” all themes that makeup Johnson’s entire discography.  

Mahalia Jackson may be a part of my favorite story in all of the music industry. It is of course a folk story, like most of those in the jazz and blues tradition, so I can’t guarantee you perfect facts. From how I’ve heard it, during the March on Washington, Mahalia Jackson had just finished singing “How I Got Over” to over 200,000 people. Walking back to her chair, she passed Dr. Martin Luther King and said to him words that make my spine shiver. “Tell them about your dream.” As Dr. King takes the microphone, one of the greatest speeches in American history begins. Every time I hear Jackson sing, especially, “How I Got Over,” I think back to that moment. 

Gil Scott-Heron is funky as hell, and he may be the stem of what rap is today. His second album “Pieces of a Man” is his most well-known. Its simplistic jazzy soul instrumentation, with bass by the great Ron Carter, matches with Scott-Heron’s sometimes soulful and sometimes purely spoken vocals. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a great example of Scott-Heron’s jazz-poet-inspired delivery. As rhythmic drums and flute playing create a danceable groove, Scott-Heron breaks into one of the most politically charged verses I’ve ever heard. “The revolution will not be televised / There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down / Brothers on instant replay,” Scott-Heron says. Following the fight for civil rights in the ‘60s, Scott-Heron gives an anthem to fight the power with. 

Sarah’s picks

1. The Staple Singers – “I’ll Take You There”
2. Stevie Wonder – “Higher Ground”
3. Kid Cudi – “Mr. Rager”

The Staple Singers were a family band that consisted of siblings Mavis, Cleotha, Pervis, Yvonne and their father Roebuck “Pops” Staples. The Staples rose to fame in the 1970s with their gospel and R&B hits. “I’ll Take You There” is featured in their 1972 album which featured top songs such as “Respect Yourself” and “We The People.” “I’ll Take You There” is an uplifting song that imagines a place with no sin or hate. Rather than hoping for a physical place that offers this, the Staples instead hope for a future where people offer this. As an early ‘70s song, it still has that funky beat we all love from the 1960s mixed with the soul-feeling strums of an acoustic guitar. 

Stevie Wonder is a force to be reckoned with and “Higher Ground” is just another example of Wonder’s exceptional songwriting and skills. The title of the song can be interpreted as another name for “Heaven,” as Wonder thanks a higher power for letting him try at life again, indicating that the song is about almost dying. Wonder blends jazz, pop and funk to create a song that gets everybody on their feet upon hearing it. After 50 years, “Higher Ground” is still a well remembered song, and one of my favorites from the 1970s. 

To include a modern artist on this list, Kid Cudi instantly came to mind with one of my favorite songs of his, “Mr. Rager.” In this song, Cudi is fighting a drug addiction where he becomes two different people. His other persona, Mr. Rager, is who he becomes when high, and who Cudi is talking to in the song. The meaning is deep, and it represents the depression that comes with taking drugs. Cudi has a mental battle between wanting to stay alive or flying like a bird up to heaven. A contrast from his other songs, “Mr. Rager” is more alternative pop than hip-hop. 

Eli’s picks

1. Marvin Gaye – “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”
2. Curtis Mayfield – “Move on Up”
3. Duke Ellington – “Mood Indigo”

As Marvin Gaye’s career progressed, he went from singing poppy R&B tunes in the early days of Motown to releasing some of the most socially conscious music of the 1970s. This period of Gaye’s career arguably reached its peak with his 1971 album “What’s Going On.” The track, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” poignantly wraps up the album and drives home the themes of poverty, racism and community that are present in the previous songs. One of Gaye’s darkest songs, “Inner City Blues” is about feeling fed up with and defeated by the vicious cycle of inner-city poverty.

Though it was released around the same time as “What’s Going On,” Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up” shows a more optimistic side of ‘70s soul music. With its triumphant horn section and exhilarating drum beat, “Move on Up” is a song encouraging persistence in the face of adversity. Both the song’s infectious positive energy and its inspirational lyrics make it one of the highlights of this era in music history. 

When most people think about big band music, they probably think of fun, upbeat songs like “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra or “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra. But when I think of big band, I think about melancholic songs about heartbreak with lush, jazz-infused orchestration. Instead of sounding like something that would be played at a ritzy post-prohibition party, Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” sounds more like something that would be playing in the background of an old film noir as a private detective lights a cigarette and pours himself a scotch. This moody Ellington composition would make the perfect soundtrack to any late, lonely night. 

Daniel’s picks

1. Bob Marley and the Wailers – “Get Up, Stand Up” 
2. James Brown – “Say it Loud – I’m Black And I’m Proud” 
3. Common and John Legend – “Glory”

“Get Up, Stand Up” is a song that tells the narrative of Bob Marley’s voyage to Haiti through anecdotes. He witnessed the widespread poverty of the country’s citizens as a direct result of the unfair policies of the Duvalier Dynasty. After Marley’s return, he wrote the song on his experiences participating in a protest. The lyrics of “Get Up, Stand Up” call for revolution by alluding to Marley’s Rastafarian faith and the corruption of the government.

James Brown penned “Say it Loud – I’m Black And I’m Proud” at the height of the civil rights movement in 1968. The song itself is an expression of Black pride but was misunderstood as being furious and belligerent, leading to him losing his crossover audience. Protests for civil rights were accompanied upon the song’s debut. It has since become a symbol of Black pride and an anthem for the African-American community.

Common and John Legend’s “Glory” was written for the 2014 historical film, “Selma,” which depicts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march from Selma to Montgomery. The song captures the feelings of African-Americans throughout history and into the present day. The song connects the past and the present by discussing historical injustices and contrasting them with contemporary social movements such as those for Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. Those who have fought against injustice in the past are honored in “Glory,” while also honoring those who continue to do so today.

Anika’s picks

1. Beyoncé – “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM”
2. Rihanna – “California King Bed”
3. SZA – “Low”

After the 65th Grammy Awards Ceremony, Beyoncé became the most awarded artist in history with 32 awards won. The album that succeeded in giving her this title was her 2022 album “RENAISSANCE,” which is a dance pop album that pays homage to the Black and queer communities. “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” is a song in which Beyoncé compares herself to cocaine, which keeps her partner coming back for more. This song has incredibly fun production that screams dance anthem and is trending on TikTok at the moment.

“California King Bed” is the sixth single off of Rihanna’s 2010 album “Loud.” It starts out with an acoustic that separates this ballad from the rest of the album’s pop sound. It tells the heartbreaking tale of knowing that a partner is falling out of love while sleeping in the same bed. It is a change of pace from the songs Rihanna performed during her Super Bowl Halftime performance – this song showcases her powerful vocals and is definitely for those who may have experienced a rather harsh Valentine’s Day.

“Low” features a sound reminiscent of a dimly lit room where you just know something is off. Off of her newest album “SOS,” which featured the #1 Billboard hit “Kill Bill,” “Low” finds itself with other songs on the album where SZA embraces self love – she is the only one she needs. It has an addicting quality to it, and SZA is somehow able to make the lyrics “Keep it on lowski, I’m the lowest of the lowest” something that you’ll sing with her throughout the chorus.