<- See this man in the hat here? This is Lou Rawls. He was born in the 30s and he died a couple of years back. He released over 70 albums and did plenty of charity work throughout his life. And I'll be damned if his 1977 song 'See You When I Get There' isn't one of the most cheerful and wonderful pieces of funk ever recorded. It's one of those VERY rare tracks that makes you remember why music was invented in the first place. The lyrics are simple and straight to the point - detailing how Rawls has just finished work and calls the woman he's in love with to tell her he's on his way home. It sounds like any other day of the week but he's excited to come home to his woman who, as Rawls describes it, is "ready for good loving". That phrase may teter on the brink of cliche but his baritone delivery convinces me that it's a matrimonial reality rather than a bachelor's dream.
Sure, we've all got problems in our lives. Bills to pay, people to please, work to do, clothes to wash, food to cook and dreams to accomplish. Rawls' music allows all these troublesome things to fade into the background for a few minutes. I'm well past the point of gushing over musicians just because they can command an audience or sell some records so the fact that I'm even thinking about this music after I switch it off is simply monumental. His tunes make you believe this world is pretty damn good.
Lou Rawls, I salute you.
We all need time to relax. Some people do yoga, some people shoot themselves in the head. Instead of all this rubbish, track down Rawls' Greatest Hits as soon as possible.
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