LOS ANGELES (U-Watch DKE Records) - New U-Watch/DKE Oct. 26 Release Features Classics by Four Tops, Spinners, O'Jays, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Teddy Pendergrass, the Dramatics, Barry White,
Al Green and the Stylistics, Along with Three New Songs
Los Angeles, CA'Philly soul is in their blood. Long a favorite of Urban audiences, Daryl Hall and John Oates return to their Philadelphia roots with Our Kind of Soul, a collection of 14 classic R&B hits and three brand-new songs which comes out Oct. 26 on U-Watch/DKE Records. The pair are currently co-headlining a 40-city national tour, the 'Rock N' Soul Revue,' with Grammy winner Michael McDonald and special guest Average White Band to enthusiastic audiences.
Two singles are currently receiving airplay at different formats. The duo's version of The Spinners' 'I'll Be Around' is now Top 15 at Adult Contemporary radio, while their cover of Teddy Pendergrass' 'Love TKO' is making inroads at Smooth Jazz, as Daryl Hall and John Oates modernize the classic TSOP'The Sound of Philadelphia'from their formative years.
'I go way back with the Spinners and Thom Bell, and the late Phillipe Wynne is one of my favorite all-time singers,' says Hall, recently inducted with partner John Oates in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
You can hear that influence on such Daryl Hall & John Oates R&B hits like 'Sara Smile,' 'I Can't Go for That' and their medley of 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' and 'My Girl' with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks live at the Apollo.
'The idea was to deconstruct the classic songs, change the arrangements and make them all sound as though we wrote them yesterday,' says Daryl about the collection, which includes covers of several soul classics. Our Kind of Soul puts the Daryl Hall & John Oates stamp on songs made famous by the Four Tops ('Standing in the Shadows of Love'), the O'Jays ('Used Ta Be My Girl'), Smokey Robinson ('Fading Away'), Gladys Knight & the Pips ('Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)'), Marvin Gaye ('After the Dance'), Aretha Franklin ('Rock Steady'), Teddy Pendergrass ('Love TKO'), Barry White ('Can't Get Enough of Your Love'), the Stylistics ('You Are Everything') and Al Green ('I'm Still in Love with You'). A cover of the Five Stairsteps' 'O-o-h Child' harks back to the first time Daryl and John met at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia during a soul revue record hop that broke into a fight just after the group performed their signature tune.
There are also three brand-new songs in the duo's blue-eyed soul tradition, 'Let Love Take Control,' 'Soul Violins' and 'Don't Turn Your Back on Me.'
'Growing up in Philadelphia and being part of what will one day be considered a classic era in popular music, has shaped not only my life and career, but my sensibility concerning what moves me emotionally and personally when it comes to music,' said John Oates. 'This connection with time and place is the soul of this recording.'
Daryl Hall and John Oates have long been favorites of Urban audiences, with a string of R&B hits starting with 'Sara Smile.' Their 1985 Live at the Apollo with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks was a tribute to the music that influenced them with proceeds going to the United Negro College Fund.
Among the artists who have sampled or covered music by Daryl Hall & John Oates are Boyz II Men, who recently did a version of 'Sara Smile,' Missy Elliott ('I Can't Go For That'), as well as rappers B Legit ('Ghetto Smile'), Heavy D ('I'll Do Anything') and De La Soul ('Say No Go'). Among the fans of the group are Brian McKnight, who performed at their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and TV show host Wayne Brady.
