Mostly again consisting of cover versions of songs that really didn't need to be stolen, such as The Beatles' Golden Slumbers (one of my favourite lullabies to sing to my children, god bless McCartney) and Ooh Child, that anthem of black resistance of the sixties, there is one self-penned song that just knocked me over like a baseball bat when I heard it, recalling the best soulful singers like Bill Withers, the reverend Al Green, etc., called Sometimes a Man:
There are two more tracks he composed on side b which are distinctly inferior. What was the setting for this wonderful composition, his apology to his girlfriend for a mistake of infidelity? I don't know, but as a true artist must, he created out of pain and soul a piece of utter beauty that every human being in the world should hear. I hate to get into details when the actual melody combined with the heartfelt lyrics are so gorgeous, but notice how artfully the acoustic guitar adds arpeggiated interest in the right channel with the rhodes piano on the left, at least until the string section overcrowds the sound.
Quickly, from discogs, a bit about this man:
Violinist & guitarist born November 8th 1943 Toledo, Ohio. Dr. John Blair grew up in California and began taking violin lessons as a child, graduating with honors from Lincoln High School in San Diego in 1961. Blair became a heavy academic, holding degrees from Eastman and Curtis conservatories. He even founded a school (The Universal Natural System). He is most known for inventing the Vitar, an acoustic combination of violin and guitar. He was featured on many jazz funk in the early 70's and released a few sought after psych-funk releases on Mercury, Columbia and CTI.
During the 80's he disappeared off the map never to return.
He died June 3rd 2006 of Heart failure in New York, NY.
RIP John, I wish your song could live forever since it is not allowed for us humans...