I kept my cool, I ain’t no fool.
“Take a Letter, Maria” is the very definition of hip-swinging, sophisticated soul. R. B. Greaves, who wrote and performed the song, sings with a voice so full of confidence and hipster’s grace that you can picture his sharp suit and wry grin, maybe even the cocked hat as he unfurls his tale. His voice is so smooth that it will come as no surprise that he’s a nephew of Sam Cooke. The Latin beat and mariachi horns add to the jauntiness of the tale. In the end, Greaves writes with such subtle complexities and sings with such smooth soul that his performances make new and vibrant what would otherwise be a tired story of betrayal and romance alive.
This song had previously been released by Tom Jones and Stevie Wonder, but Greaves rode it to the top of the charts.
Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III was born on November 28, 1943, at a US Air Force base in Georgetown, Guyana. He grew up on a Seminole Indian reservation in the United States before moving to England in 1963. After his music career ran out of gas, he wound up in California working for a tech firm before passing in 2012.
#Songoftheday #spreadinghappiness #love #takealettermaria
YouTube: https://youtu.be/DSbXNjsLdRM?si=a9v49nuTtqhROBXL
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/70V9otkdkxxiRjrdiHk6CO?si=99c0b0b80f434109