Artificial intelligence is all the rage right now, with some claiming that advanced computer learning is the sign that the end times—or, at least, Cylons—are nigh. Others foresee business leaders using it to trim their white-collar workforces to the barest of minimums; if well-paid employees can be replaced by prompts, why keep them? Even the blogosphere could be imperiled. Why spend hours most weekend mornings writing anything when ChatGPT can rework press releases, articles and opinions it finds online? One can easily imagine a corporate-powered “blogosphere” that elbows out small sites such as this one.
Anyway, out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT—which is free to use—about the new Valerie Carter single, “Never Get Your Love Behind Me.” Its response:
“I’m sorry, but as of my last update in January 2022, there’s no information available about a new Valerie Carter single titled “Never Get Your Love Behind Me.” Valerie Carter was a talented singer-songwriter known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for her collaborations with artists like Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt. However, if this single was released after my last update, I wouldn’t have information on it. I would recommend checking music streaming platforms, music news websites, or Valerie Carter’s official channels for the latest updates on her music releases.”
In other words, thanks to ChatGPT’s 3.5 model not being updated in two (!) years, The Old Grey Cat is—at least for now—safe from obsolescence!**
I start with that silly yet serious (if too long) bit because, in a way, it’s related to the infectious “Never Get Your Love Behind Me,” and its equally engaging b-side, “What My Baby Needs Now Is a Little Lovin’.” Given that Valerie Carter, whose 1977 debut LP Just a Stone’s Throw Away is a sublime delight, passed far too soon in 2017 at the age of 64, “new” anything might seem a tad farfetched—previously unreleased, perhaps, but not new. Yet, thanks to the advent of AI-powered tech, these tracks—which pair her with the Faragher Brothers, a blue-eyed soul group from Southern California—are indeed new.
The A-side features a new recording by the Faragher Brothers of their 1976 hit “Never Get Your Love Behind Me” that’s built around a Valerie Carter vocal lifted from a demo she recorded for her underrated 1978 sophomore set, Wild Child. (It’s similar to how the surviving Beatles fleshed out John Lennon’s “Now and Then.”) The James Brown cover on the B-side, on the other hand, pairs a live vocal from a 1976 concert with a new studio recording. The results sport a seductive, soulful sheen that’s similar to the British R&B band Stone Foundation’s collaborations with such legendary artists as Bettye Lavette and Melba Moore. Both tracks sound fresh and new yet vintage and old, somewhat akin to lost treasures unearthed by Britain’s Northern Soul aficionados. The recordings also speak volumes about the talents of the Faragher Brothers, who obviously had to work around Valerie’s long-ago contributions.
Anyway, while out and about yesterday morning, I played both tracks for my focus group, aka my wife Diane. “I love this!” she said of “Never Get Your Love Behind Me” within seconds of its start. She liked “What My Baby Needs Now Is a Little Lovin’” even more. “This should’ve been the A-side,” she said (or words to that effect). She then asked that I play them both again.
Both songs are available to stream via the usual suspects, while the 45—which is expected to ship by the end of April—can be had via the official Valerie Carter website.
[** ChatGPT 3.5, for its part, says that The Old Grey Cat and other blogs should be safe regardless of its infrequent database updates. When asked, it said, “while AI can complement the work of bloggers by assisting with tasks such as research, content generation, or language translation, it’s unlikely to replace the need for human-authored blogs entirely. The human element, including creativity, perspective, engagement, and connection, remains a vital aspect of blogging that AI cannot fully replicate.”]
The Old Grey Cat 
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