Album Review: Marvin Gaye’s You’re The Man
The minute you press play on You’re The Man, your heart smiles because you are hearing the voice that molded so many other artists. Anybody that enters the realms of Soul, R&B, Jazz, and even Pop will cite Marvin Gaye as an inspiration because he made rawness elegant. He turned the reality of love, sensuality, and even the sociopolitical conditions of blackness in America into epics that moved your body and spirit. What is so wonderful about You’re The Man is to hear what was inspiring Marvin Gaye in 1972.
Like his fellow legends ,such as Sam Cooke, Gaye’s music feels like a history capsule. Thus, tracks like, “The World Is Rated X” and “Where Are We Going?” have Gaye telling the world that the violence they see on screens, especially against blacks, is not only on films. This is a reality. What dumbfounds me about such tracks is that they, sadly, feel relevant to 2019’s situations. Now more than ever, prejudice, war, hate, and gun violence feel like a caption on a screen, and we struggle to accept its reality because we don’t want to. For some, it’s because prejudice is too painful to approach, and, for others, it is because they are causing that pain. Thus, you wrap yourself with Gaye’s coos and pleading belts for us to awaken.
My Last Chance (SalaAM ReMi Remix)Marvin Gaye is an awakener. You’re The Man, as an album, proves he is such a legend because his voice stirs you to hear his words and absorb his instrumentals like they are sparks from a wand tossing magic unto you. From “Piece of Clay” to “My Last Chance,” Marvin’s soundscape swings and swindles like a thousand strings being plucked by Heaven. It is a reminder of how lush and elaborate radio music used to be. Nowadays, we are all about electro-chill or simplifying, but Gaye’s records were 6 minute opuses on humanity.
Marvin Gaye – Symphony (SalaAM ReMi Mix)You understand why Gaye adds a horn section or a piano riff or thrusts notes from every aspect of his range. HE IS SUMMONING SOUL! You’re The Man feels like a Marvin Gaye classic that was already released. It fits into his catalogue so beautifully you are shocked that you have never heard songs such as, “Woman of The World” and “I’m Going Home (Move).” Yet, You’re The Man will please old fans and attract new ones. For More Information on Marvin Gaye And To Buy You’re The Man On March 29 Click Here.
