"Hey Love" by Matt Covington
A forgotten soul essential by the former Philly Devotions lead singer.
Less Than 1,000 Spins is a Micro-Chop side project, Spotify and YouTube playlist, daily newsletter, and a place to find great songs with less than 1,000 spins. You can support the project by sharing the newsletter, the playlists, and/or music from the playlists with other people.
Throughout the 1970s the Philly Devotions released several quality singles that blended various elements of disco, R&B, and soul, including the gorgeous “Yeah, Yeah Girl.” A couple of compilations of their work came out many years later.
The group’s leading man Matt Covington's falsetto vocals feature prominently on Philly Devotions records. Covington later released his first and only solo album. Though Discogs lists no release date, according to the website Dusty Grooves it came out sometime during the late-‘70s. Catalyst and Max Roach Quartet saxophonist Odean Pope does a nice job handling production duties and providing a range of styles throughout.
Much like the Devotions discography, the album is an intriguing blend of uptempo tunes and slower, ballad-like numbers. I’m not opposed to the faster tracks but the slow songs on the record like “Philadelphia Dreaming” tend to make more of an impression on me.
The standout moment on the record is “Hey Love,” a heartfelt love song tucked away at the end of the project. A simple but beautiful orchestration of bass, drums, and guitar make up the bulk of the backing track, while Chappy Washington’s deft skills on the piano add a rich layer of sound to the middle of the composition. The music works perfectly with Covington’s vocals, enriching them while giving them space to breathe and steal the show as necessary.
I’m surprised many songs on Less Than 1,000 Spins haven’t become sample standards and/or found a bigger audience. This is one of them.
Listen to “Hey Love” on any platform here. Make sure to check out Less Than 1,000 Spins on Spotify and YouTube. You can also check out Formerly On Less Than 1,000 Spins on Spotify and YouTube.
Thank you for your support - I’ll be in touch again tomorrow.