Another track I held back for a few days, as I didn’t want to rush this review. In the entertainment business, it’s a risky principle to remake an established classic, but when it comes off it’s a thing of beauty: You could do a lot worse than going with this smooth, funky cover of James Carr’s bittersweet The Dark End of The Street.

Carr’s painful and anguished delivery on the original are perfect for the ‘forbidden love’ aspect conveyed in the lyrics: here however, they’re switched for a jazzier, more upbeat vocal style that replaces the slow, suspenseful tone with a sense of intrigue and excitement. It’s reflected strongly in the instrumentation too, with a bouncy funk resonating throughout to positively charge the vocals further and hence works to alter the context of the lyrics, transforming the vague hints of hope in Carr’s original to positive idealism. As an entirety, it comes together fluidly to allow the cover to be viewed independently as a superb piece of jazz-soul that will both mellow and brighten your day.
Aloe Blacc & The Grand Scheme-The Dark End of The Street

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