Marvin Gaye vs. Angie Stone | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 24th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), Marvin Gaye and Angie Stone contend for the best rendition of “Trouble Man.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 24th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 Marvin Gaye and 🎙 Angie Stone contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Trouble Man”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!  

1. Marvin Gaye, “Trouble Man” 

💿 Trouble Man • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1972

“I come up hard, baby, but now I’m cool / I didn’t make it, sugar, playing by the rules.” Woo! 🎙 Marvin Gaye = soul musician extraordinaire and icon. Gaye impacted music tremendously. He has hits in the 1960s, 70s, and saw a career resurgence in the 1980s prior to his tragic murder in 1984. Among his 1970s hits is the marvelous 🎵 “Trouble Man” (1972), which graced his original motion picture soundtrack for 💿 Trouble Man. “Trouble Man,” the main attraction from the soundtrack, impressively peaked at no. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.

More impressive than the charting history, of course, is this masterpiece by Marvin.  His voice is heavenly; godsent 😇. His falsetto is pure and incredibly ripe.  He doesn’t restrict himself to falsetto only.  We get his full-fledged, gritty middle register too.  One of the fine features of “Trouble Man” is the melody. It is both rhythmic and tuneful.  The most rhythmic section is the famous bridge, where Gaye’s agility is extremely impressive:     

“I know some places  

And I see some faces  

I got good connections  

They dig my directions  

What people say that’s okay  

They don’t bother me, no.” 

 Of course, lyrically, “Trouble Man” is nothing short of the vibe, particularly how the trouble man is characterized (“There’s only three things for sure / Taxes, death, and trouble, oh / This I’ve known, baby /… Ain’t gonna let it sweat me, babe.” Last but not least, the music – the production – is glorious. Gaye wrote and produced. “Trouble Man” exemplifies the classy, sophisticated, orchestrated sound of the 70s.  Piano, strings, vibraphone, saxophone, additional wind instruments… a brilliant arrangement! Furthermore, there is jazz in the mix too – WOO! 🎵 “Trouble Man” is epic to the nth degree! 

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻: 

• Marvin Gaye, “Trouble Man”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 81 (2023)   

2. Angie Stone, “Trouble Man” 

💿 Black Diamond • 🏷 BRM / Peace Bisquit • 🗓 1999  

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” That is Biblical talk – scripture – that  🏆 Grammy-nominated neo-soulstress, 🎙 Angie Stone, commences 🎵 “Trouble Man” with. “Trouble Man” appears as the ninth track on her 1999 neo-soul classic, the gold-certified 💿 Black Diamond.  Of course, it should be noted that 🎵 “Trouble Man” was recorded 27 years earlier by its writer and original performer, 🎙 Marvin Gaye.  It takes some serious chops to cover an icon like Gaye, chops that Stone clearly possesses. 

The voice – Angie’s voice – sounds amazing on “Trouble Man.” She oozes with soul and nails the agile, rhythmic melodies without a hitch.  The timbral contrast, moving from the male lead of the original to a  female lead on the cover, is a major selling point.  The production does a nice job of recapturing the essence of the original while simultaneously updating the sound.  The jazz-soul vibes continue to emanate, though less pronouncedly; the arrangement is simpler and there is less instrumentation.  The focus are the keys, guitar, bass, and drums compared to the orchestra accompanying Gaye. This rendition embraces the 1990s contemporary soul sounds, helping to make “Trouble Man” sound more original.  Furthermore, the Stone version runs about two-and-a-half minutes in duration where Marvin went nearly four. Stone successfully delivers a superb cover all said and done. 

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:  

• Angie Stone, “Trouble Man”: Covers No. 24 (2023)  

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

🎙 Marvin Gaye or 🎙 Angie Stone?  Much like the previous week’s edition, the answer is a no-brainer: MARVIN GAYE, period. Gaye took 🎵 “Trouble Man” to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, the jazzy, lush orchestrations surrounding his distinct vocals are awe-inspiring. Angie does her thing – she’s a talent in her own right – but the definitive version of “Trouble Man” will always belong to Mr. Gaye.  

via GIPHY 

Marvin Gaye vs. Angie Stone: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 24 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; BRM / Peace Bisquit, Motown; Antoni Shkraba via Pexels, andresilva5, talha khalil, Valentin Tikhonov via Pixabay; Nick Wang on Unsplash]