Bringing you a really great project today that goes out of what we would expect from the funk and soul queen Gizelle Smith. Smith, who’s known for belting out a funky track or two as well as putting the S in soul, is one of the hardest working artists out there. Today, she delivers something a bit different. Here’s Smith’s cover of the great Kate Bush’s track “King of The Mountain” from her third and forthcoming record Revealing due out this summer on Jalapeno Records.
In hindsight, “King of the Mountain” was the unwitting green-lit precursor for me to explore newly realized artistic freedom but contrary to the circumstances, I kept the recording in the vein of the rest of the album by way of not approaching it from an emotional point of view. I wanted to make sure the original sentiment was preserved.
Taking on one of her biggest influences and in a move in other vocal directions, “King of the Mountain” is a departure from the familiar growl of the soul siren, and a dedication to her late father, Joe Smith, the former guitarist, songwriter, and musical director of Motown’s The Four Tops. Joe Smith had passed as the choice to cover this song was made in the first recording session of 2019. Emotionless, lost, and with no sense of direction, Gizelle Smith rewrote all of the material and broke out of the funk and soul shell that was so closely associated with her father. Focusing on her talent as a songwriter (as her father was as well), she made room to be the creative force she is.
“King of the Mountain” is not just a fitting tribute to her father, but a spirited hat tip to Bush herself, highlighting the many talents Gizelle Smith has in her bag. Running the gamut from cinematic to psychedelic-tinged aural trips, she no longer can be seen as just a funk and soul queen, free from being pigeon-holed into just one corner. She’s free to roam a newfound musical landscape of free-form sounds and we can’t wait to hear more. Listen to the track below:
Dig Deeper!
Flea Market Funk 