Men of Soul bring a modern Motown touch / Hooked on a Feeling

The original version of the catchy hit pop single ‘Hooked on a Feeling‘ was first released in 1968 by American artist B.J. Thomas. Since then, it’s been covered multiple times, even in Scandinavia. In 1973 Swedish group Blue Swede‘s version with Björn Skifs as a lead singer made it to the Swedish and American charts.

Now, over 50 years later, the newly formed trio Men of Soul have released their version – and dare we say, it is one of the best we’ve heard!

Taking on the job of covering a classic is a challenge for sure, but Men of Soul does it brilliantly. They give the song a major dash of modernity and an overall upgrade – not at least by adding a large amount of soul to it. If this were the first version we had heard, we would have been sure it was a soul song all along. It can be challenging to impart an innovative and unique flavour to a cover version, especially of a well-known song. However, this trio overcome this with ease. The track feels modern and fresh, adding the group’s flavour and harmonies to a song while honouring the original. Add velvety smooth voices that go perfectly together, a groovy bass line and a top-of-the-line production by English star producer Glen Scott; it is clear that Men of Soul has found a retro recipe for success.

After hearing this version of Hooked on a Feeling, we cannot wait to hear more from Men of Soul. Individually the band members – Greg Curtis Jr, Troy James and Prince Mpedzisi – have a long experience in the music industry, having, for example, been backup singers for artists such as; Carola, Zara Larsson, Eric Saade, Liamoo, Nano, Peter Jöback.

With their new constellation, they want to represent soulful Swedish voices which have too often been placed at the back of the stage and increase diversity and representation of the Swedish music scene. This is something we cannot praise enough, and we will support this new trio every step of the way.

We’re hooked on this feeling!