My wife had the day off, because it was Juneteenth. That meant our shared car was mine until dinner time. I packed a bag, hopped in, and criss-crossed Los Angeles, occasionally stopping to write or read. My stops were nice, but the star of the show was the whip, as were the black songs I chose to repeat, in honor of emancipation.
These eight songs are the eight songs I replayed over five times. It’s an incredibly solid 37 minutes — Aretha and Nina and Donna (all three live, please listen to each album in full), James and Luther, Con Funk Shun and The Ohio Players and The Elements (Earth, Wind, and Fire).
The most recent song was released 34 years ago, which felt right. I hope you enjoy this trip through African America.