Song of the Day: Anderson .Paak “Hold the Line”

Anderson .Paak is a talented rapper, singer, drummer, producer, and songwriter. We’ve been blessed by the release of his 2016 album, “Malibu”. The record received a lot of acclaim and made a lot of music-heads very happy to hear real instruments and creative arrangements on a hip hop album. A few years beforehand, however, .Paak came out with a covers EP that was overlooked at the time.

On that 2013 record, “Cover Art”, Anderson .Paak released a full EP of re-imagined, soulful rock covers, including this cover of Toto‘s “Hold the Line“. This seven minute jazz/soul fusion cover brings a whole new vibe to the song. The song features the talents of singer Raquel Rodriguez with who .Paak duets on the track. This recording sounds like it could have been included in Robert Glasper‘s album, “Black Radio,” the Grammy Award winning R&B album that also infused jazz and soul into each track. (Both albums were released within a year of one another.)

Like a lot of jazz music, “Hold the Line” does not rush you into the heart of the song, it eases and warms you up to it with the beautiful jazz-piano solo. Check the video out here: