Who are the original artists this song is in the style of?
July 20, 2017 8:24 PM

I really like the song Late Nights & Heartbreak sampled on Jay-Zs new album and was surprised to find out singer Hannah Williams is contemporary and British.

It's not so much the torch-song beginning I like as the chorus (particularly the final chorus) and a big part of what I like in the chorus is the brass (though the vocals themselves, and the style, are pretty great also IMO).

Some of Nina Simone's songs have some of the same elements -- who besides her should I be checking out?
posted by mrmurbles to Media & Arts (6 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings (RIP), Amy Winehouse (also RIP goddammit), El Perro Del Mar, Duffy and of course, Adele. But yeah, Nina Simone is the GOAT of this genre.
posted by Brittanie at 9:18 PM on July 20, 2017


For the instrumental part, a lot of Sharon Jones' Daptone label mates do good stuff. Menahan Street Band and The Olympians might be worth checking out. It's also worth noting that the Dap Kings backed Winehouse up on Back to Black.
posted by juv3nal at 10:02 PM on July 20, 2017


You will love Duffy (although she's no longer recording new music).

Warwick Avenue
Mercy

Also, Joss Stone, especially the earlier stuff.

Edited to say: Sorry, just realised that Brittanie already suggested Duffy, doh!
posted by humph at 6:44 AM on July 21, 2017


you may also like Aloe Blacc Born is the King, Love is the Answer.
posted by Requiax at 9:01 AM on July 21, 2017


Bob Boilen seems to do a good job of getting similar sounding folks to Tiny Desk, e.g. Lianne La Havas, Andra Day, and The Suffers. If you follow the related stuff over on the right you'll likely find dozens of singers and bands that are close to what you're looking for.
posted by togdon at 9:22 AM on July 21, 2017


Is it too obvious to say that you're looking for Motown and seventies funk/soul? This reminds me of stuff like Smokey Robinson (You Really Got a Hold On Me), Aretha Franklin (Chain of Fools) and Dusty Springfield (Son of a Preacher Man). Those are the keywords I'd look at.
posted by peppercorn at 1:33 PM on July 21, 2017


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