My Musical DNA # 10 (Sam Cooke -"Trouble Blues")
(Only Sam Cooke could make the blues feel so damn comforting.)
“But I know that someday, oh someday darling
I won't be trouble no more”
- Sam Cooke
"Trouble Blues" (1963)
Sam Cooke features a powerfully unique voice that I should not even think about covering to be honest, but "Trouble Blues" is among my favorite blues songs and was calling my name throughout the week. When I started arranging my DROP D version of this classic, I felt a surge of adrenaline and inspiration that doesn't hit me very often these days, so I immediately set up my microphone and tablet and recorded my cover in about three or four takes.
I realize I cannot summon the stirring bliss of a singer like Cooke or Gaye or Redding, but soul music (in this case a bit more on the bluesy side) is likely my favorite type of music to attempt to compose. Once again, I relied on the liberating power of DROP D tuning to craft an arrangement that provided my vocals more open space to breathe, and it also ended up supplying a spiritual musicality that reminded me of Middle-Eastern or Indian modes (not that I know all that much about those types of music). Maybe this surprising musical twist demonstrates the universal nature of blues music, as those Southern American roots have merged with our collective DNA as a species, which gives me hope that we all "won't be trouble anymore."
CHORDS USED
DROP D
(0-0-0-9-10-0)
(0-0-4-5-6-0)
(0-0-0-9-10-0)
(0-0-6-7-8-0)
(0-0-3-4-7-0)
(0-0-0-2-3-0)