A Song For You: Ray Charles, Childish Gambino, and INOJ

"SONG FOR YOU"   RAY CHARLES

A jazz standard that has been sung by Michael Buble, Willie Nelson, Christina Aguilera, Donny Hathaway, Leon Russell (writer), but no one's version rang as true and memorable to me as Ray Charles' take.   His maturity, his reflection on his life (the highs and the lows), just speak to the heart here.   Ray rightfully won a Grammy in 2003 for "A Song For You".  

"LOVE YOU DOWN"   INOJ
Great cover from the mid-90's of a Ready For The World R&B classic.   Inoj was born in Madison, Wisconsin and had her biggest chart success with three covers:  "Love You Down", Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and the Disco classic "Ring My Bell".     This song keeps the sensual feel of the original but new jack bass beats add a new spark and energy to the mix.

"HEARTBEAT"  CHILDISH GAMBINO

Donald Glover goes by the name of Childish Gambino and just released this single in November 2011.   Donald stars on the NBC Show, Community, with Joel McHale but here he flips his image with an intense rap about conflicting emotions, sleeping around, and the complications of the choices you make.