S.O.D. "What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

9/27/2015     Shooting rubberbands at the stars has probably been attempted by a few children here and there.  In this case it is the title of the debut album by this diverse, multi-genre group from Texas.  From this album, a clever single basically saying "I'm me, and that's the way it is."  Written by Brickell and guitarist/bandmember Kenny Withrow, it was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, UK.  Sampling of the tune has been done by the R&B/soul group, New Edition, singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill, and Aretha Franklin who included parts of it in her 1988 hit single, "A Rose is Still a Rose."  The Canadian charts ranked it #1 and the U.S. #4.  A 1988 release, it has seen its share of the public media and VH1 ranked it at #77 on their list of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders.  

     The group is still making music after coming together in 1985. For a short time in the 90s they were known as The Slip, consisting of Brickell, Withrow and drummer John Bush. They have released 4 studio albums, some compilation albums and 4 notable singles. Brickell is married to musician Paul Simon.