3 tracks: love will find a way

Before becoming every housewife’s favourite crooner and studiously sculpting embarrassing facial hair/curly mullet combos (actually scrap that last statement), Lionel Richie was behind some of the best soul albums with the Commodores, and disco records when he embarked on a solo career in the early 80s. His second album, Can’t Slow Down, released in ‘83, encompasses the smooth disco sound he was so good at producing.

 

 - Someone please find me this notebook

Can’t Slow Down’s 5th track, Love Will Find A Way, is not only a great track in its own right, but also offers solid evidence when exploring the ways urban music feeds on its ancestry and tradition when crafting new genres. Lionel’s track has given birth to two great cuts, one hip hop and one house. 

Although The Dogg Pound’s track only samples the initial drum loop, it is nonetheless a fascinating insight into the science of sampling: who would of thought that the duo, infamous for its thug lyrics and general gangster demeanour, were Lionel Richie fans? It’s funny thinking of them head nodding in the studio to the original, sippin on a 40 in a Raiders hat. Miguel Migs’ track is truer to Lionel’s: he keeps it real simple, adding a nice bassline and little else. The result is a killer house number, reaffirming the intrinsic connection that house and disco share. Enjoy!