"Cadillac Records" and Black Manhood

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Critical Noir
Never See a Man Cry
by Mark Anthony Neal

Cadillac Records, the new film about the rise of the Chess record label, its co-founder Leonard Chess and the label's signature act Muddy Waters, takes a great many historical liberties. Written out of this fictional account of the birth of Chicago Blues are Leonard Chess's brother Phil and a rich musical history that also included John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson II, groundbreaking Doo-Wop acts like The Flamingoes and The Moonglows, Bo Diddley, Billy Stewart and The Dells, among others. One of film's strengths--and the reason why Cadillac Records is such a compelling story--is its documentation of the relationship between the music produced by a generation of black male artists, many of them recent transplants from the deep South, and their sense of manhood.

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A Sunday Kind of Love: Romancing Barack Obama

from CRITICAL NOIR @ Vibe.com

“I want a Sunday kind of love, a love to last past Saturday night..."--"Sunday Kind of Love" (as performed by Etta James)

A Sunday King of Love: Romancing Barack Obama
by Mark Anthony Neal

When the legendary Etta James bought the music and lyrics of “Sunday Kind of Love” to life, she could have been singing to the fragile state of African-American psyches at the time. “Sunday Kind of Love” was recorded by James in 1961, at a moment that was increasingly defined by the demands for social and racial justice that were emanating from the American South. Indeed the song, which is credited Barbara Belle and Louis Prima (among others), is little more than an innocuous love song about desiring a love, that transcends a one night (or one primary) stand. For some African-Americans, such songs could mean so much more, often framing the critical issues in their live in a language that was easily understood. At the root of Etta James’s performance of “Sunday Kind of Love” were fears of rejection and betrayal, that resonated throughout black communities even as the most visible tenets of legal discrimination began to buckle. Was this an America that could offer African-Americans and others a “Sunday Kind of Love”? I thought about that question last Thursday night as Senator Barack Obama addressed supporters—and the nation—after his historic win in the Democratic Caucus in Iowa.

Read the Full Essay at CRITICAL NOIR @ Vibe.com