As much message-music as What’s Going On? (or any Sly or Curtis classic), Be Thankful’s a quieter statement, but still full of 70s ennui about political, social, and spiritual matters. DeVaughn though, seems less concerned with driving right into the big picture than investigating the many causes that made Marvin “wanna holler” or Curtis to tell us we’re all going to hell. Opening track “Give The Little Man A Great Big Hand” is a celebration of the guy behind the desk or the guy who picks up his trash and the implicit point rather than explicit point is, “no one’s fucking pay attention to the little man.” The explicit point’s an endearing celebration of said “little man”, never reduced to a symbol of this or that.
On the album closer, “Something’s Being Done”, DeVaughn assures listeners that change will come and stuff’ll get better and again, the fact that stuff’s not currently that good walks around in the background instead. He wouldn’t have to tell us things will be better if they weren’t bad right now. That DeVaughn looks ahead with less of the cynicism of other political rockers and soulsters probably has a lot to do with DeVaughn himself still being a “little man”, singing on the side and working a government job.
DeVaughn knows that the “little man” doesn’t want to hear about how bad everything is all the time because he already knows it and lives it every day. When a superstar gets political, it shouldn’t be scoffed at, but they’re almost always coming from the angle of not being directly affected by it anymore…they’re looking out for the little guy.
-”Give The Little Man A Great Big Hand”
DeVaughn is the little guy. He never falls into the decadent cynicism that very popular, voice of the generation musicians can usually afford to fall into. On “You Can Do It” he takes on vice and kindly urges people to stop drinking too much at parties. “Kiss and Make Up” is a celebration of reconciling, getting over the little bullshit in life and moving on. What I think is really brilliant about the song is how DeVaughn pauses and holds the note before he finishes the chorus. 70s soul merged political let’s get-along with sexual getting it on and it makes you expect him to sing “Let’s kiss and make love” but he’s more concerned with the immediacy of just making up and so, that’s the focus of the song. I’m reminded a little bit of that scene in Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep where works-in-a-slaughterhouse Stan is more concerned with dancing with his wife and being close to her than having sex with her (despite her increasingly feverish advances) because shit’s heavy on his mind, body, and soul.
Another reason for DeVaughn’s specific form of modest social protest meets “it could be worse” appreciation is his roots in Washington, DC. Marvin Gaye too, is from DC, but Marvin was already a celebrity by the 70s, no longer as closely connected to the city. DeVaughn sang on the side and worked for the government until he stumbled upon the soon-to-be-classic “Be Thankful For What You Got”. Gaye addressed the politics with a question, DeVaughn answers with a sincere but simple statement. This is common for people from or residing in the District. They’re way closer to politricks than the rest of us, and are more apt to digest the bullshit and come up with a pithy answer, and skip over the self-righteous indignation stage. Probably has something to do with like, seeing the cocksucker Senator that’s pulling some bullshit jogging near the Mall as you walk to work…
And musically too, it’s got a kind of relaxed, comfortable but alert feeling. Quite a few songs kick-off with a memorable slam of drums and stab of strings (“We Are His Children”, “Sing a Love Song”) and then politely step back into a groove, like that first knee-jerk frustration with something you read about in the paper before you better get your heard around it. Other songs slowly waddle along, getting more nuanced and complicated with layers of organ and polite vibes that build-up to some kind of in and out, gets the job done solo and then back to the groove again. Take the title track, which is all slow-burn atmosphere organ, with some plucked funk guitar that all just sits back and supports DeVaughn’s brilliant chorus that lays out what “you may not have” (“Diamond in the back, sun roof top, diggin’ the scene with a gangsta lean”) all the while assuring you that it’s okay to not have it and that you can “still stand tall”.
-”Be Thankful For What You Got”
While DeVaughn’s answer isn’t as sexy as Marvin’s rhetorical question, it’s not as simple or besides the point as one might think. That’s to say, when John Mayer dropped the “People Get Ready”-quoting “Waiting On the World to Change” a few years back, it truly was, a Pitchfork brilliantly said “preaching the gospel of non-action and civic apathy”. DeVaughn’s not so much telling you not to freak-out or to chill-out–indeed, you don’t sing this much about how we don’t have to worry if you’re not worried–as he is adding some right-minded moderation to Marvin’s message from the year before, eschewing the get-with-it cynicism for minor victory appreciation.
William DeVaughn’s Be Thankful For What You Got is perfect on-the-recliner stuffed with food, stoned off the shit in turkey that makes you sleepy type music that fits the big ugly gluttony and the sit back and realize you got it pretty good traditions of Thanksgiving.
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14 Jun 13 at 8:49 pm