Song of the Week: "Monday Nights"
Killer Tune from NYer Rebecca Haviland & Whiskey Heart
Confession time: I often dismiss fellow singer-songwriters when they deserve more of my attention. Sometimes, they are just victims of my busy schedule and get lost in the deluge of emails from competing publicists. Those who truly know my musical leanings will politely poke me until I listen to an artist or new track, hedging that I may enjoy the track or album they're promoting.
As mentioned above, Rebecca Haviland was recently the victim of one such oversight. Thankfully, her publicist Amanda, who has been a long-time friend and tireless champion of indie music, kept after me. "Please check out her music. I know you'll love her latest single, 'Monday Nights.'" It took me nearly a month, but I finally did. Damn, what was I waiting for?
New Yorker Ms. Haviland has been making music for twenty years and with her band Whiskey Heart—Chris Anderson (Martin Sexton), Kenny Shaw (Dispatch), Todd Caldwell (Crosby, Stills & Nash) and Nicky Barbato—since 2013. Her latest effort is the most excellent EP, Late Nights, showcasing her powerfully earthy vocals and her band's dynamic accompaniment. While she easily glides between both Americana and soulful ballads, the aforesaid release showcases a funky, retro-forward, R&B-fueled single that shares the same swagger of mid-'60s Motown girl group chart-topping tunes (think The Supremes) and producer Mark Ronson's funky Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen songs.
The throbbing bass line and distorted guitar line hook you from the jump. It's a hyper-pumped-up version of the Holland-Frazier-Holland produced Freda Payne classic, "Band of Gold," on steroids. As any New Yorker will tell you, Monday nights can be fantastical club nights. You just have to know where to go. And this song could easily fuel the soundtrack to such nights if it were up to me. Yo, DJs, best grab this track now. "The sound is infectious!"
Props and an honorable mention to her new single, "We All Cry A Little," too.