Arkells must feel like they’re on top of the world, not just Hamilton’s Mountain peak. The dapper five-piece from the Hammer who are frequently accompanied by Northern Soul Horns in concert just had another tour de force performance at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage. Not only did they crank out hits such as “Leather Jacket”, “Private School”, “Knocking at the Door” and “Relentless” (all worthy of future ROCKthusiast playlist inclusion), time was taken out of their 27-song set to indulge in their long-standing passion for soul-infused, Detroit exported R&B of the ’60s.
It’s cool to see that no matter how big Arkells get, whether in terms of gold records, JUNO Awards or presence on US festival lineups, they’ll never lose their love for what originally influenced them. Not only this, but they’re obviously committed to extending said music excitement to as wide an audience as possible through their “Legendary Soul Revue” in the hopes of also affecting others.
This special Sunday edition playlist reflects some of the Motown numbers Arkells have covered over the years, from the Jackson 5ive to Marvin Gaye, the Supremes to Tina Turner, not to mention Smokey Robinson as well as the incomparable Stevie Wonder. Little Stevie’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” is the soul song Arkells have done the most throughout their history, but who they brought out to play guitar for it in Toronto on the first Saturday night of the summer was definitely a surprise – Raptors head coach Nick Nurse! A world champion AND first-rate axe-slinger? Who knew?
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday or any day of the week for that matter sittin’ on the dock of the bay or dancin’ up a storm with these bona fide shining soul stars. I don’t know about you all, but I’m going to resolve to try and be as cool as my new guitar hero Nick Nurse from now on. And in case you’re wondering, Arkells do the high-tempo version of “Land of 1000 Dances” as made famous by Wilson Pickett, not ’80s WWF Superstars.
A Li’l Soul for Your Sunday
(Playlist curated by ROCKthusiast)
Arkells – Company Man
Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back
The Temptations – Get Ready
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Wilson Pickett – Land of 1000 Dances
Ike & Tina Turner – Proud Mary
The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love
Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
The Temptations – My Girl
James Brown – I Got You (I Feel Good)
The Miracles – The Tracks of My Tears
Four Tops – It’s the Same Old Song
Marvin Gaye – Baby Don’t You Do It
Four Tops – I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)