Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.
If you know Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, this next one might take some getting used to. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” of course opened the album, signaling the strange new experimental direction that got the band kicked off the label. The seven-minute alt-country-meets-ambient song served as the title for a famous documentary about a band coming apart at the seams. To many Wilco fans the song holds a special place in the cannon.
Try to forget all that. It will only impair your ability to enjoy this cover. Few songs seem less appropriate to for a Stax soul conversion, but that’s just what J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound have done. With a bassline reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” the songs blasts forward with horns ablaze and Brooks busting out his best James Brown impression. Is it forced? Sure. But it’s also a heck of a lot of fun.
Check out more JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound at their website or MySpace.
