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In this installment of Modern Classics we speak to the amazing four-time Grammy Nominee musician, singer and songwriter Yola about her new record, Stand For Myself, and how hearing Childish Gambino\u2019s \u201cRedbone\u201d and all its references to 1970s funk encouraged Yola to unlock her own unprecedented mix of symphonic soul and classic pop.\n\nAs Yola tells it, it\u2019s not just a sound from the past that she\u2019s conjuring, it\u2019s a sense of possibility. The way that progenitors like Funkadelic, Minnie Ripperton, and the O'Jays combined political protest with deep grooves, what Yola calls \u201cthe Mary Poppins philosophy of music\u201d (the groove being the spoonful of sugar to help the socially-conscious medicine go down).\n\nWith this marriage of sound and statement, Yola makes retro sounds relevant again, as on the title track \u201cStand For Myself,\u201d where she uses throwback slap bass, fuzz guitar, and orchestral strings to craft a distinctly modern messages about her identity as a Black woman, cultural allyship, and UK politics. Also, why she likes mixes that sound like they have a \u201cbig old booty.\u201d\n\nSongs Discussed\nYola - Stand For Myself, Diamond Studded Shoes, Starlight, Barely Alive, Be My Friend, If I Had to Do it All Again\nChildish Gambino - Redbone, Riot\nBootsy Collins - I\u2019d Rather Be With You\nFunkadelic - Can You Get to That\nThe O\u2019Jays - Back Stabbers\nQueen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices