Review: “Whatever Happened to the Times” by Bobby Womack

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TRACK 5

“Whatever Happened to the Times”

From Bobby Womack‘s The Bravest Man in the Universe

XL RECORDINGS

Liner notes: His raspy voice framed by eerie organ and spooky beats, R&B legend Bobby Womack delivers a plea for redemption, crying, “Whatever happened to those good times?”

Behind the music: What a résumé! Womack composed and sang on the original version of the early Rolling Stones hit “It’s All Over Now,” played guitar behind Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, collaborated with Sly Stone, and scored the blaxploitation classic Across 110th Street. His comeback album is coproduced by Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame.

Check it out if you like: Bold soul men from Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke to Charles Bradley and Lee Fields.

 

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Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

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