I have spent this morning listening to a few different versions of the Nic Ashford & Valerie Simpson written soul classic ‘California Soul’ and have come up with the ranking of my favorites.
- Marlena Shaw – The definitive version and the one that most people are probably most familiar with. Nowadays if the song is covered or sampled, this is the version being used.
- Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – A beautiful duet that doesn’t quite come close to the other more famous songs by these two. This was the final song released after Terrell’s death in 1970.
- Citrus Sun featuring Noel McKoy – The version with the best guitar work and McKoy’s voice is excellent.
- Nick Ashford – The songwriter does a good version, but doesn’t cause the song to reach the heights of other renditions and he doesn’t sound like he will on the Ashford & Simpson songs.
- The Fifth Dimension – If you like the sound of the Fifth Dimension’s other work, then you will probably like this version, but it doesn’t compare the grit of other versions on this list.
- The Messengers – The original version of the song was a B-side to the song ‘Window Shopping’ and is a case of the B-side being a better song to me.