Deep Shadows

Description

“Little” Ann Bridgeforth left this world in 2003, several years before the song that would become her most revered work found its audience. “Deep Shadows” is a soul monument of epic proportions, a striking evocation of emotional lack and claustrophobic isolation. The track was recorded — alongside other soul gems — by Dave Hamilton and Darrell Goolsby in Detroit in the late 1960s, before remaining unreleased and forgotten in a box for decades. It was not until 1998 that Ace released it for the first time on CD; since then, its reputation has only grown, with its nervous drums, vibraphone and poignant vocals sampled by artists such as Madlib, Grand Puba, Loyle Carner and dozens of other producers. In 2009, the Timmion label compiled all of Ann’s unreleased recordings on an album; today, it is releasing this track on 45 rpm, accompanied by a new version titled “Deeper Shadows”. This reworking rearranges Ann’s vocal over a different rhythm from the original, layering it over an unreleased instrumental track by the British group The Third Degree. Miraculously, the alchemy works, offering a previously unheard interpretation of Ann’s masterpiece. These two radically different versions, true gems of “deep soul,” are now available on vinyl for your greatest pleasure.