The new HBO show How to Make It In America is pretty good, but by far the best thing about it is the opening credit sequence. When I first saw it I thought it was soundtracked with a particularly righteous soul song from the ’70s, maybe a Bill Withers b-side dug out of the crates. It’s one of the very few credit sequences I’ve watched twice in a row on purpose.
To my surprise and delight, it turns out I was wrong: Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar” is the first single off his upcoming album Good Things, due from the Stones Throw label later this year. (While you’re waiting you could pick up his 2006 debut album Shine Through.)
As far as I’m concerned, this is America’s national anthem for 2010. No other song matters.
