Marvin Gaye: The Genius of Trouble Man

Here's the latest news on my Washington, D.C., genius musician homie, Marvin Gaye.

Lenny Kravitz has been cast to play Gaye in a film about the singer's life, from his time in London in 1981, to his secluded years in Ostend, Belgium, where music promoter Freddy Cousaert took him to recover from various addictions. Julien Temple, who is known for his documentary London: The Modern Babylon and a film about the Sex Pistols, will direct the film.

This month also marks the 40th anniversary of Gaye's masterpiece, the soundtrack to the film Trouble Man. The movie wasn't so great, but the recording is filled with some of the most compelling movie music ever made. From the main theme, "Trouble Man," "Cleo's Apartment," "Abbey Walsh," to "T Plays it Cool" and "Life is a Gamble," the listener gets a full experience of a tense and action-packed story just by listening to Gaye's funky, sensual, and dramatic music.

As a testament to Gaye's timeless sensibilities, tunes from the Trouble Man soundtrack have been used many times by artists such as Kanye West, T.I., Angie Stone, Raashan Ahmad, and on and on. Certainly with more to come.

Hip-O Select.com/Motown released a brand-new edition of Trouble Man to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The new 2 CD expanded edition will feature the remastered original soundtrack recording, plus 29 unreleased performances, including alternate takes, rare vocals, and the full score for the film. It's a must-have (Well at least, I gotta have it).

See the full track listing for "Trouble Man"

Here are two jewels from the sountrack: "Trouble Man" and "Cleo's Apartment"