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Fatoumata Diawara
Song of the Day: After a series of longer established African stars, a more contemporary one – the Ivory Coast born singer songwriter, from her 2018 album, Fenfo (Something To Say), with a song about mass migration
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Youssou N'Dour
Song of the Day: Moving from Morocco, and another huge figure in African music and the style of mbalax, which mixes jazz, soul, Latin, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal
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That's the Fela
Song of the Day: As the heatwave continues let's enjoy a double from Nigeria's prolific genius, one about our most precious resource, the other in relation to a police confrontation involving a planted cannabis joint
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Frankie Smith and friends twirl the rope
Song of the Day: After Malcolm McLaren and echoes of The Boyoyo Boys, another skipping-related number, a 1981 funk hit less about the music, more notable about the first use of "izzle" hip hop stylings
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A Nigerian billboard of the last William Onyeabor release
Song of the Day: From one fantastic man – Nelson Mandela – to another, this time from Nigeria, the enigmatic 1970s and 80s electro-funk maestro who was a true original, spreading joy and positive politics in his music
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Rotary Connection, featuring Minnie Riperton and Charles Stepney (right).
Song of the Day: How to move from bluesy road tunes to this elaborate jazz-soul number at the peak of the psychedelic movement? Partly because this band also backed Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters
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Peter Allen. Enjoying it both ways.
Song of the Day: After yesterday's funky Janelle Monáe number about bisexuality, let's turn back the clock to 1980, and a different disco funk pop hit from an Australian who used a cheeky geographical metaphor
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Janelle Monáe
Song of the Day: It's Saturday, time to get a little bit sexy, and bang up to date with a brand new number that might remind you of someone? Yes Prince did indeed help US singer and rapper Monáe with this before he left us.
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Maybe nine can win? Fabulous family band The Sylvers
Song of the Day: After yesterday's Ty Segall/Hot Chocolate cover comparison, more material playing on the topic of who or may not be the winner in a relationship from the brilliant hip hop and jazz producer and the 70s funk and soul family group
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Ty Segall's new album, Freedom's Goblin
Song of the Day: It's time for an upbeat number for Friday, and so let's enjoy a great new cover version by the American garage rocker that stands up the original, but also resulting in a situation where everyone is indeed a winner
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Unstoppable … !!! work up a sweat on stage
Song of the Day: It is hard to find any material more energising than the music of the New York dance-postpunk band originally from Sacramento, California, who have been delivering blistering live performances for more than 20 years
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Thin Lizzy in '76
Song of the Day: After yesterday's gentle fox song by Belle and Sebastian, we turn to a fox of a different kind in a fabulous rock and funk number from the Irish band's 1976 album Johnny The Fox
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The ever stylish Sly and co, who together made a very special musical family
Song of the Day: Following yesterday's We The People by A Tribe Called Quest, an earlier, and even more influential message of racial unity from the funk pioneers of the late 60s and early 70s
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Beyoncé's Crazy In Love, but where does the inspiration come from, other than Jay-Z?
Song of the Day: You ready? Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no. An uncharacteristically commercial behemoth to be appearing on SOTD, and while it's hard to resist a song that is so undeniably catchy and brilliant, passionate pop, where does the inspiration, and indeed music, come from?
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Gnarls Barkley
Song of the Day: From one crazy song to another, another by a great singer, this time the Atlanta-born CeeLo Green in collaboration with New York producer Danger Mouse from their acclaimed 2006 album St Elsewhere
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Shuggie Otis in his days as teenage prodigy. He is now 63 and still going strong
Song of the Day: A psychedelic soul classic from Shuggie, aka Johnny Alexander Veliotes Jr, the California singer-songwriter from his 1971 album Freedom Flight, which 1977 became a funk hit produced by Quincy Jones
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From the video for Let There Be Horns
Song of the Day: Echoing yesterday's great drum break, let's now celebrate the work of the Ohio multi-instrumentalist and hip-hop artist, who is behind the theme tune to Mad Men, and so much more
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The unmistakable Grace Jones
Song of the Day: To mark the release of the revealing, insightful and at times hilarious documentary film, Bloodlight and Bami, directed by Sophie Fiennes, a couple of Grace's finest, with two sample live performances capture her ferocity, style, sexiness, humour, and above all, consummate skill as an artist
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Nadine Shah
Song of the Day: With a rich, full voice and truly original sound, from one of the best albums of 2017, two powerful songs from the intelligent South Tyneside singer-songwriter with a Norwegian/Pakistani heritage. This cuts deep into one of the burning issues of modern times, the plight and treatment of war-torn immigrants in the UK, and the divisions in our state. Think PJ Harvey and Anna Calvi with a new, contemporary, edgy twist
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Little Barrie, featuring Virgil Howe, left, on drums
Song of the Day: A tribute after the shock passing of the extremely likeable and vivacious drummer Virgil Howe, son of Steve Howe from Yes. His band is best known for the theme tune to the TV series Better Call Saul, but let's hear some examples of Virgil's skills and also the surf-style psychedelia rock of this great band – from their 2011 album King of the Waves
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