For a fun, soulful outdoor barbecue, there are several things you must have. Of course, there's the food: potato salad, baked beans, ribs. (And whoever is manning the grill better know what he's doing.) You must have beer and liquor for the adults, Kool-Aid or Capri Sun pouches for the kids. But if you want to keep the barbecue from sinking into lame territory, you must also have music - plenty of good, upbeat jams.
As friends and I prepare to get together for the Fourth of July, we delegate different duties. Besides doing some cooking, I'm in charge of the music. Here are highlights from my playlist, one that I hope will appease the progressive urbanites, old heads and gutta folks who are sure to show up.
Erykah Badu, "Honey": The bonus track on her latest album, the superb New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, this feel-good jam is ideal for a laid-back summer afternoon. The rubbery groove - borrowed from "I'm in Love," an obscure 1978 Nancy Wilson track - is perfect for nondancers like yours truly. I can do my lazy two-step move, drink in hand, and not look ridiculous.
Zapp, "More Bounce to the Ounce": This flowing funk monster, a heavy influence on Dr. Dre's gangsta rap productions of the '90s, was inescapable during the summer of 1980. Twenty-eight years later, it is still a sure party starter that hasn't aged a bit. Even Roger Troutman's vocoder usage still sounds strangely innovative. It is downright impossible to sit still during this cut. You tap your feet, you nod your head. Something moves.
Madonna, "Borderline": So we go from heavy electro-funk to fluffy '80s pop. Why not? This is, hands down, my favorite song by the chameleonic superstar. Forget Hard Candy, her overly calculated, icily detached new album. I prefer the young, hungry Madonna, whose powerless, hopelessly thin vocals managed to sound somewhat soulful on this cut. The production was overseen by Reggie Lucas who, with James Mtume, had crafted a similar sound for Stephanie Mills earlier in the decade. This song is so 1984, but it's still a nice trip.
Usher, "This Ain't Sex": This is a standout on the R&B superstar's new album, the overlong and uneven Here I Stand. The ghost of the glorious '80s Michael Jackson has long loomed over Usher's career. And on this track, he almost pulls off the pop legend's effervescent sound circa Off the Wall. But no matter how hard he tries, Usher will never be the marvelously nuanced soul singer Jackson was in his heyday.
