Sonny Smith devours music, or so it would seem. Along with his tenure in Sonny & the Sunsets, Smith has been recording material for his intimidating 100 Records project for some time. We’ve mentioned this project before when Smith contributed to our On Deck feature, as well as when he released “If You Don’t Make A Change,” another song from 100 Records, Vol. 3, the forthcoming third and final installment of this massive undertaking. Recording 100 original songs from 100 fictional bands is a daunting task for anyone, especially for someone who is basically creating and curating the entire collection himself.
The latest song from this faux-artist album comes in the form of “Half Boy Half Girl,” an oddly compelling mixture of Desmond Dekker, Bob Dylan, and ? and the Mysterians. Imagine “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” being played on steel drums with a slippery organ fighting for control of the song and you’re getting pretty close to a sonic approximation. But Smith, working under the fictitious The Wayward Youth moniker, doesn’t merely appropriate well-known musical references to make the song work but runs those familiar tones and sounds through his own eclectic musical imagination to create something new and unique–something completely his own.
Beats Per Minute is proud to premiere “Half Boy Half Girl,” the latest track from Sonny Smith’s upcoming 100 Records, Vol. 3 album. Listen to the song below.
