Friday, August 1, 2014

Battle of the Bands: "Sensitive Kind"


I'm Back...

During the end of last year and the first part of 2014, I took part in several posts for the blogging event known as the "Battle of the Bands (BOTB)."  This is a fun way to discover, discuss, and dissect music, and was originally started by Stephen T. McCarthy and FarAwayEyes back in August of 2013.  The event occurs twice every month -- on the 1st and the 15th -- and each of the bloggers taking part offers their  readers a choice of two (or occasionally more) versions of the same song, performed by different recording artists. And then the readers get to vote for their favorite rendition.

I really enjoyed putting together the few BOTB posts I did, but as 2014 started, I had less and less time to blog, and so I stepped aside from it after only a short while. But today, I would like to once again take part.  I can't guarantee that I will be able to do this on a consistent basis, but I had so much fun voting on the last BOTB posts from July 15th, I wanted to join in on this one.

One of the things that lured me back to taking part in the BOTB posts is that last time two of the BOTB posters, Stephen T, McCarthy and DiscConnected, both featured Santana songs in their battles.  Well, I immediately thought of another Santana song that I wanted to do, and it inspired me to come back and take part in this BOTB to highlight it before anyone else took it. ;)

Let the Battle Begin

Santana, with singer Alex Ligertwood, released the album Zebob in 1981.  It had a hit -- "Winning."  It's a great song, although it always sounded to me like Santana's doing something that could be a Steve Winwood song. Carlos Santana's guitar has a single-coil, treble-y Strat sound -- nothing like his normal screaming tone -- and the tune sounds like it would be perfectly at home on Arc of a Diver.

But the song that always grabbed me from Zebob was "Sensitive Kind".  Wonderful groove, fabulous singing, touching lyrics. and there's that expected screamin' Santana-tone guitar, including a scorchin' lead break.

Here's the video of Santana's Zebob album cut of "Sensitive Kind:"



Great song, isn't it?  But here's the deal -- Santana didn't write this song.  It's a cover.

The original composer was a guy named J.J. Cale.  If you've ever heard Eric Clapton do the songs "After Midnight" or "Cocaine," you've heard songs written and performed originally by J.J. Cale.  Also "Call Me the Breeze," covered by Lynyrd Skinner; "Clyde," covered by Waylon Jennings; and "Travelin' Light," covered by Widespread Panic (and others).

J.J. Cale had a career of over 50 years and 15 albums well outside the spotlight of commercial success. The highest-charting song he had with him actually recording it was "Crazy Mama" in 1972 -- it peaked at #22. But he was greatly admired and appreciated by countless musicians.

He released his fifth album in 1979, appropriately but minimally entitled 5. It was a wonderful collection of short, smooth songs of the Okie and rootsy blend of jazz, blues, rockabilly, country, and soul JJ Cale is famous for, and it remains my favorite J.J. Cale album.  This album also had his song "Sensitive Kind."  It's a very different vibe in J.J.'s version. Slower, intimate, and much more sensitive.  It's also kind of a unusual song for J.J. in that it features strings and horns on top of his usual mellow, soulful singing and sensual guitar playing.  But see what you think.

Here's the original version of "Sensitive Kind" as done by J.J. Cale:



Your Vote

So which appeals to you more?

I invite you to listen to each version and give them a chance. After listening, please vote in the comments as to which version you think is best, or which speaks to you the deepest. Feel free to also share as much as you would like about how any of the above recordings strike you, even if it's less than positive.

Then -- be sure to check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:


Thank you very much for listening and for voting -- come back and visit again the end of next week to find out how the voting has gone.  I'll make a post then with my own vote and also announce the winner.

And in the meantime -- be sure to appreciate the sensitive kind in your life!

27 comments:

  1. Now that you mention it, Winning does sound like a Winwood song.
    The versions are very different. Difficult to pick, but I like the more uptempo version by Santana.

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    1. "Difficult to pick" is the goal, Alex.

      And I figured you for a Santana vote. ;)

      Delete
  2. I am familiar with J.J. Cale though I've never owned any of his albums. Coincidentally, I first heard a J.J. Cale album in about 1971 when a friend played it in the same listening session when he also introduced me to the Harvey Mandel album from which the song came that I'm using in my current BOTB contest.

    I think Cale's version would be one that I'd grow to prefer, but in this initial introduction of the two versions I think I'll go with Santana's version. Carlos is just sooooo smooth and cool.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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    1. I understand, Lee. And I agree -- wonderful tone and playing. Another Santana vote...

      Delete
  3. I can hear why Santana covered the song it is a great fit for him. Kudos for Cale for creating it. I was going to vote for Cale but Santana won me over in the second half of the song.

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    1. I totally understand. Santana's version has a lot of power, I'll add another Santana vote.

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  4. CHRIS!...
    See? This is why we NEED you in 'Battle Of The Bands'! You bring so much musical knowledge into it. (In fact, I am now "officially" DEMANDING that you become a regular participant! Don't make me come over there, Brother!)

    This was a "fantabulous" (thanks, Van-The-Man!) 'BOTB' installment.
    First, I want to say that I knew of J.J. Cale (that won't surprise you) but I did NOT realize he wrote 'Call Me The Breeze' and Waylon's 'Clyde' (I'm a massive Waylon fan, by the way).

    Carlos Santana is one of my very favorite guitarists of all time. I used to own a lot of his albums, but now - for Spiritual and political reasons - I own NONE of them. But I still think he's one of the greatest (if not THE greatest). I mean, no one beats Danny Gatton when it comes to technique, but Santana has such an emotional, spiritual tone and style.

    Alex Ligertwood - he's kind of an enigma to me. Sometimes I love his vocals (e.g., 'Somewhere In Heaven' with Santana) and sometimes he sounds like he's really reaching and straining himself (some of the vocals on Brian Auger's 'Complete Live Oblivion' - which nevertheless is one of my Top Ten favorite albums ever... and DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT 'Bumpin' On Sunset' and 'Listen Here' as 'BOTB' blog bits because I have those etched in future stones and I'll hire an Italian with no morals to deal with you if you steal 'em from me... Ha!)

    'Winning'... uh... yeah... not my favorite... and you're right that it has a "Winwood-ish" feel to it, but it's from that Winwood era that I don't like so much. I've been a big fan of TRAFFIC since my senior year in high school (1977) and I loved a couple of Winwood's first solo albums (particularly the self-titled debut most of all, but I loved 'Talking Back To The Night' almost as much and played it to death) but oddly, when he started really scoring chart success with hits like 'While You See A Chance', 'Higher Love', and 'Back In The High Life Again', I really lost touch with him. I didn't dislike him because he was a commercial hit-maker (I'm 100% FOR musicians I like making it big), but his sound really changed to my ears and it seemed very... "Coca-Cola-ish". (I just now made that expression up, but it seems right. The songs were like "Pop Fizz" compared to songs like 'Hold On', 'Time Is Running Out', and 'Talking Back To The Night'.)

    Anyway... BOTH of these versions of 'Sensitive Kind' are truly excellent. I even like Ligertwood's vocals. If you could take the instrumental break in Cale's original and substitute it with a slow, smoldering, sustain-extensive Bluesy Carlos Santana solo, THAT'S probably what I would like best of all.

    But since we can't alter the recordings, I think I'll vote for the Santana cover - that guitar is tough to beat, and even Alex is good. But the J.J. Cale original is damned good too and I hate to vote against it.

    CHRIS... see you again on August 15th! (?)

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. So, just to make sure I understand: You want to take away my individual right of free choice and DEMAND that I take part in this contrived popularity contest you've created that makes a mockery of a real democratic process? You want to trample my freedoms in the spirit of some artificial mandate of the people that you've concocted just to serve your own selfish desires???

      OK -- I'll do it. I just wanted us to be clear on what you were demanding.... :)

      And I absolutely get where you're coming from about WInwood. I also loved Traffic, and while I liked a lot of those 80's solo albums, they were very "slick." Reminded me of the commercial success Phill Collins had with his pop stuff after being the drummer in Genesis. From an experimental, arty band to a pop-singer...

      I do get why you had to vote for Santana, but I admit I'm surprised. I figured you for a solid JJ vote, especially since I made sure to mention the Clyde cover by Waylon. :)

      So the sweep gathers momentum: Santana 4, Cale 0 after this one...

      Delete
    2. >>... So, just to make sure I understand: You want to take away my individual right of free choice and DEMAND that I take part in this contrived popularity contest you've created that makes a mockery of a real democratic process? You want to trample my freedoms in the spirit of some artificial mandate of the people that you've concocted just to serve your own selfish desires???

      YES! That is EXACTLY what I had in mind. (Ha!)
      See, that's another thing I like about you - you catch onto The Big Picture faster than most other people do.

      Well, but I want to restate that had we been able to incorporate Santana's guitar into J.J. Cale's original take on this song, then J.J. WOULD have gotten my vote. So, your expectation wasn't so far off after all. But... man... I'm just a sucker for that raw, emotional Santana guitar sound. That's often gonna trump some other stuffs that I like really, really well.

      But I remember you saying about a week ago that you thought I was going to really dig this August 1st 'BOTB' you were planning, and you were 100% EXACTLY right about THAT, Bro!

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
    3. No problem -- this is a BOTB where I don't think there's a "wrong" vote. I'm just glad I gave you a choice that wasn't one-sided. :)

      Delete
    4. Well... I think, by nature, you're probably
      a little bit more generous than I am.
      [;-)}

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
  5. Each of the versions evokes a *completely* different 'place.' They almost feel like two different songs. For this pairing, I'd have to say I don't prefer one over the other as much as I'd be drawn to one over the other depending on my mood.

    Love the backstory you provided.

    Okay, as I type, listenin' to the licks starting at around 1:55 with the JJ Cale version and I have to say that is sa-weetness. Feeling swayed ...

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    1. Thank you Suze. I'm glad you enjoyed both versions, and I'm very happy you were swayed -- if only to prevent a shut-out. :)

      -- Santana 4, Cale 1

      Delete
  6. I was interested enough in Santana growing up that I went out and checked out his stuff. Abraxas was good, but beyond that he really only seems to have a couple of tricks up his sleeve. This song seems to be a good fit for him, but Kale is just the type of mellow I need right now. Kale gets my vote.

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    1. Abraxas remains my favorite Santana album also, but I have to give credit for his fabulous guitar playing. And while SOME smart-assed bloggers might ask if you mean JJ or the green, leafy vegetable often used as a garnish, I'm much too classy to resort to cheap attempts at humor like that. :)

      -- Santana 4, JJ 2

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  7. Another surprise fot me, as I fully expected to vote for JJ Cale, but find myself like the Santana version better.

    Go figure.

    A vote for Carlos and company!

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    1. Pardon me while I go figure...

      OK, I'm back. And I'll put you down for a Santana vote:

      -- Santana 5, JJ Cale 2

      Delete
  8. I’m a big Santana fan, but I have to admit the version of this song that I’m more familiar with is the JJ Cale. That said; I really like both versions. I always feel that it makes a good BATTLE when it’s hard to decide.

    I guess after a little thought fandom wins out, and I vote for Santana on this one.

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    1. I agree. The tougher the choice, the better the battle!

      And I'll put you down for Santana although I'll admit that I guessed the smooth JJ Cale version would have swayed you.

      -- Santana 6, JJ Cale 2

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  9. Comment #1- STMC's take on winning matches my own. I liked the title cut on Arc much better than I liked While You See A Chance- or anything else he put out.

    Comment #2- Crazy Mama was on my Time Machine blog not long ago, as I do a retrospective that is currently drifting lazily through 1972. In the course I learned much of the stuff you recited from experience. I was ten at the time and had little opportunity to snag on mainstream music, let alone learn about those "just off the beaten path" on my own.

    Comment #3- Again on this BOTB day, I am surprised, but I shall go with JJ. In the minority yet again...

    ReplyDelete
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    1. #1 -- I totally get it. See my reply to StMc.

      #2 -- I wasn't much older in 1972 -- 11 for most of the year.

      #3 -- Being in the minority on a decision doesn't mean you've made a bad choice. ;)

      -- Santana 6, JJ Cale 3

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  10. This is an excellent match-up. I am completely unfamiliar with both versions of the song so I wasn't predisposed to prefer one over the other.

    I really enjoyed Santana's version of the song. As StMc said, he is rather amazing with his guitar. Of course, for me, that sometimes gets old... when I feel he has moved from the vibe of the song into old-fashioned showing off. And then I turn off. Happy to say that wasn't the case with this one. The song maintained a very pleasant groove beginning to end.

    The JJ Cale immediately grabbed me as being the more sensitive of these two versions. I think it had everything to do with the vocals (much more sensual than the Santana version) and that laidback guitar. The only thing I didn't like about the Cale version was that the ending was too long and lackluster. If you are going to have a long instrumental section it has to DO something.

    Still and all, I think Cale's version captures the spirit of the song better, so I will help boost him back into contention by giving him a vote.

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    1. Thanks, Robin!

      Great breakdown on your vote, and you're helping to make it more of a race:

      -- Santana 6, JJ Cale 4

      Delete
  11. Really a tough choice Chris. Liked them both for their different styles. I think I'll go with Santana on this one though.

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    1. Good -- A tough choice is exactly what I was going for, Donna! :)

      I'll put you down for Santana:

      -- Santana 7, JJ Cale 4

      Delete
  12. Wow, this was a tough one. I agree with Suze, though. I could easily go with either one of these, depending on my mood. However, if I've gotta pick one, I'm going for the underdog. As much as I love Santana's skills with the guitar, I really like the mellow, velvety feeling of the Cale version.

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    1. I hear you, Susan. And I get where you're coming from. Glad to see it's turned into a good contest.

      -- Santana 7, JJ Cale 5

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Don't be shy -- feel free to comment. I really appreciate your thoughts.