Song of the Day: Curtis Harding – On and On

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “On and On” by Curtis Harding from his album Face Your Fear, available now via ANTI-.

Curtis Harding – On and On (MP3)

Curtis Harding is a soul man through and through. Born in Michigan but raised in Atlanta, Harding grew up performing with his mother’s traveling gospel collective, so by the time he came of age, he was ready to unleash something powerful (his influences are Albert King, the Everly Brothers, and Ronnie Dyson, so it was inevitable). In 2014, he released his first LP Soul Power, which promised a groovy future for the performer: he would go on to collaborate with Danger Mouse and Sam Cohen on his second album.

Released on October 27, 2017, Face Your Fear is a funky, soul-filled adventure front to back, and “On and On,” is an upbeat, brass-soaked odyssey of personal strength and overcoming (“I’m gonna keep rolling on/ No matter what the world may do”). Harding’s philosophy of soul is that of a complete picture, not just a musical style. “Soul is an experience. It can be in the way you dress, the way you talk, the way you sit down in a chair. It’s a feeling that you can translate to someone with whatever you’re doing,” he told GQ. Well, between that mindset and the gorgeous harmonies, gripping beat, and rich falsetto of “On and On,” it seems like Harding’s more or less got it all figured out. If only everyone was so laid-back.

Harding is currently on tour in Europe. Keep up with him via his Facebook page, and check out a video below for another album track "Need Your Love."