The common thread in this show isn’t a particular style. It’s curiosity. Popular music has always been one long conversation with borrowed phrases, remembered rhythms and ideas passed between generations.
Prince’s “Calabama” arrives in 2026 carrying the energy of a session recorded years earlier, while The Sweet Vandals deliberately chase the tactile feel of another era. Brother Theodore reaches back to Shuggie Otis, and Gladys Knight & The Pips stretch an ’80s soul hit into 12-inch territory. And we remember Cassandra Wilson who left us a little too soon.
Click play for your Labor Day weekend soundtrack and enjoy the "unofficial" wind up of summer.
For Funk's Sake is hosted by me, Bruce Caines, and comes to you each week from New York City.
