Oscar Brown, Jr.: Living Double in a World of Trouble

Track

Living Double in a World of Trouble

Artist

Oscar Brown, Jr. (vocals)

CD

Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr. Goes to Washington (Verve 557452)

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Musicians:

Oscar Brown, Jr. (vocals),

Floyd Morris (piano), Phil Upchurch (guitar), Herbert Brown (bass), Curtis Boyd (drums)

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Composed by Oscar Brown Jr

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Recorded: The Cellar Door in Washington, DC, 1964

Albumcovermroscarbrownjrgoestowashington

Rating: 84/100 (learn more)

Oscar Brown Jr. has female problems. Married, he's got "one more woman than the legal laws allow," and must juggle a "two-woman harem." Not that he feels guilty about this arrangement. "One is my treasure," he brags with entitlement, "one is my treat." What bugs him is the threat of ostracism. "Bad talk would nail me if the truth got out." Brown had the songwriting and performing skills to critique the Ring-a-Ding treatment of women as playthings, but by going for laughs from an approving audience, he hypocritically reinforces women's second-class status during the height of the civil rights era.

Reviewer: Alan Kurtz

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