Steely Dan is in a bit of a resurgence lately. I can't say I've ever gotten the whole Steely Dan thing, but I do love when Eli Paperboy Reed turns a non-soul/R&B song into his own style, and that's what he's done with "Do It Again." The jazz rock classic is reworked as a classic soul song, which is what Reed has always done best. Steely Dan fans may enjoy this as a curiosity, but fans of Reed's and neo-soul in general are going to love this as just a killer soul song. That's one of Reed's superpowers: He can take a song you've never liked and turn it into gold.
Eli Paperboy Reed says of the new song:
"Sometimes it pays when things don’t work out. From time to time, I get asked to do things for movies, television and commercials. In this instance, I was asked to put my spin on Steely Dan’s 'Do It Again.' My concept (inspired by the sounds of my friend Nick Waterhouse), came fast. I took my Brooklyn crew into my favorite all-analog studio at the time, Stockholm Street Sound and we got to work. The powers that be, however, didn’t like it. I knew, however, that my friend, the legendary Soul DJ of WFMU’s Downtown Soulville, Mr. Finewine, would love it. What I didn’t know was that he would love it so much as to put it out on a 45, a 45 which sold out almost immediately!"
You can listen to Eli Paperboy Reed's take on "Do It Again" below. Hits and Misses: The Singles is due out October 20 on Yep Roc Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Eli Paperboy Reed, check out the artist's website.
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