But there was also an innocence about it and a romance.
“What I’m fascinated about with that era is mostly American pop culture of that time, because there was so much happening in this country socially – you know, there was a huge melting-pot of races and sexual orientations, especially in places like NYC, Chicago and Detroit, and people really fighting for their freedom and their right to express their identity. He explains why this period of time matters so much to him and why it has had such a profound influence on this album’s sound and feel, in an interview with the : What’s refreshing about the album is that he draws on all these musical influences, and a giddy sense of spirited joy without once sounding like anyone’s clone.
While that infectiously catchy song is more than enough of an achievement for any musician, and a worthy calling card for the rest of his life, he has moved beyond being potentially tagged as a one-hit wonder with songs like “Happiness” and “Paradise People” which tap into the same vein of joyful celebration of life with all the people you love close by. If you think Sam Sparro is simply “Black and Gold” and nothing more, then think again. That, of course, makes it a joy to listen to.
It is clearly a time and a place the 30 year old Australian feels quite at home, and it has suffused the album with a rich, warm sense of soulfulness matched with lyrics of hope and optimism and a sense that life is going to be very good, maybe even great. Someone who also clearly recognises its richness is one Sam Sparro, who seems to have listened to many of the same records as my friend.Īnd it shows in his latest release, Return to Paradise, which is as faithful a tribute to this era as you’re likely to get, drawing on influences like Chaka Khan (how could he ignore that amazing talent?), Fleetwood Mac, and yes greats like Patti Labelle. Thankfully, I have a very good friend who loves any and all music from this golden era and has shared it with me on many occasions, whether I wanted him to or not – I have been mostly glad he has – so I have managed to get a sense of how musically rich a decade it was. OK confession #1 : I lived through ALL of the 1970s.Ĭonfession # 2: And in that time, I either listened to Evie and Nana Mouskouri (ask my parents about those choices please) or ABBA (obsessively this one was entirely my choice) or in the latter part of the decade, disco.Ĭonfession # 3: So consequently 70s funk passed me by completely, not helped of course by the fact that Australia wasn’t in the inner orbit of R & B Soul and missed much of the music anyway.
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