The Fab 4 refuse to go away! Has there ever been a more beguiling band than the Beatles? Has there ever been better popular tunesmiths than Lennon and McCartney? Little wonder Beatle songs are constantly recycled and covered and the latest Moptops’s tune to get a makeover is their 1964 hit ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ which is back with us in new, soulful rendition from CHANCE HOWARD.
Chance is a garlanded American singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter who’s worked with people like Prince, Morris Day and The Time, Nikka Costa, Karyn White, Alexander O’Neal, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, Notorious B.I.G., George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Gladys Knight and Michael Bolton. A busy man indeed and that busy work schedule almost cost Chance his life! Three years ago after a busy week playing first with Brian Culbertson in Chicago, then Marcus Miller in Los Angeles and finally Candy Dulfer in Minneapolis he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home! Chance, thankfully, survived the horrific car wreck but he’s still confined to living in a rehab facility where he is learning how to walk again.
US medical fees being what they are, and without an income, Chance’s bills are skyrocketing. Thankfully some of his high profile friends – people like Dave Koz and Candy Dulfer- have helped, which brings us to Mr H’s cover of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ which he’s retitled ‘Buy Me Love.’
Chance recorded ‘Buy Me Love’ prior to the accident. While on tour with Dulfer in Amsterdam, Howard and Dulfer performed an impromptu version of ‘Buy Me Love’ during an informal nightclub jam session. After the gig, a married couple approached Howard. While they were unable to speak English, they clearly loved the rendition. Days after the show, the husband unexpectedly passed away. His wife tracked down Howard and asked if he could record the song to be played at her husband’s memorial service.
A lovely story that’s matched by the loveliness of Chance’s version. This ‘Buy Me Love’ begins with a sweet Accapella intro before developing into a sophisticated Quiet Storm jam. On the track Howard sings and plays all the instruments with the exception of Candy Dulfer’s sax work. The cut is good to go now via your favourite portal and all proceeds, of course, go towards Howard’s medical bills. There is also a GoFundMe site. Find out more @ https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-support-of-chance-howard.
