It's A New Day So Let A Man Come In
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Album Summary
Released in 1970 on the legendary King Records, 'It's A New Day So Let A Man Come In' finds James Brown right in the thick of his creative prime, delivering a collection that blends raw funk electricity with deep soul balladry. The album draws from the well of Brown's prolific output during this period, weaving together original funk workouts like the title pieces alongside soulful interpretations of standards such as 'Georgia On My Mind' and 'If I Ruled The World.' Produced under the King Records banner — the Cincinnati institution that had been home to Brown for years — the release captures the Godfather of Soul operating across multiple dimensions: the screaming, sweat-soaked funk preacher and the tender, emotionally exposed balladeer, all on one record.
Reception
- The album was part of James Brown's extraordinarily prolific 1970 output, a year in which he released multiple projects and maintained a relentless touring and recording schedule that kept him omnipresent on the soul and funk charts.
- Critical appreciation for this record, like much of Brown's King Records catalog from this era, grew considerably over the decades as listeners and scholars revisited the depth and variety it offered beyond his more celebrated funk singles.
Significance
- The album stands as a testament to James Brown's remarkable range as an artist, placing hard-driving funk instrumentals and vocal showcases like 'Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose' alongside tender interpretations of pop and soul standards, demonstrating that the Godfather operated across the full emotional spectrum of Black American music.
- As a King Records release during the dawn of the 1970s, this album reflects a pivotal transitional moment in soul and funk history, capturing Brown's sound at the precise cultural hinge point between the civil rights era and the harder, street-level funk that would define the decade.
- Tracks like 'It's A Man's Man's Man's World' — Brown's own towering composition included here — underscore his singular ability to fuse political and personal statement with musical innovation, cementing this album's place in the continuum of soul music's most vital years.
Samples
- "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" — one of the most heavily sampled tracks in James Brown's entire catalog, used by artists across hip-hop and electronic music for decades, with its drum breaks and horn stabs appearing in countless productions.
- "It's A New Day (Part 1 And 2)" — sampled across hip-hop productions drawn to its infectious funk groove and Brown's declarative vocal energy.
- "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World" — sampled and interpolated by numerous artists across soul, hip-hop, and R&B given its iconic melodic and lyrical weight.
Tracklist
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A1 It's A New Day (Part 1 And 2) —
5:45
-
A2 Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn (Part 1 And 2) —
7:13
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A3 World (Part 1 And 2) —
6:08
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B1 Georgia On My Mind 80
4:17
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B2 It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World 80
2:52
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B3 Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose 114
2:45
-
B4 If I Ruled The World 98
3:07
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B5 The Man In The Glass (Part I) —
2:50
-
B6 I'm Not Demanding (Part I) —
2:50
Artist Details
James Brown, the self-proclaimed Godfather of Soul, rose up out of Barnwell, South Carolina, and by the early 1960s had set the whole world on fire with a raw, sweat-drenched blend of gospel fervor, rhythm and blues grit, and a rhythmic intensity that would eventually birth the very foundation of funk itself. His band was so tight, so deeply locked in the groove, that Brown virtually invented a new musical language — one built on syncopated rhythm, punishing horn stabs, and a vocal ferocity that no human being had any right to possess — and that language went on to shape soul, funk, hip-hop, and beyond. James Brown wasn't just a musician; he was a cultural earthquake, a symbol of Black pride and power whose anthem "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" landed in 1968 like a thunderclap across a nation in the thick of the Civil Rights Movement, cementing his place not just in music history, but in the very story of America itself.
