BROWNS BAG – SOUL SATISFIED

Great consistent old school style soul follow up to their ‘Labor Of love’ album. ‘You Touched My heart’ and ‘You Love Me’ are both great two steppers ft Ward Brown’s deep soulful voice. ‘You’re Contagious’ is a nice upper mid tempo dancer, whilst ‘Me Around’ and ‘Toss N Turn’ are catchy modern soul dancers with horns. ‘Rain’ and ‘More Than Friends’ are good ballads, and the remixes of ‘No More Love’ and ‘Things You Say’ from their debut will appeal to dancers. Overall a really good solid soul album which if anything is slightly stronger than their debut.
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JOHN LEGEND – ONCE AGAIN

Strong follow up to his massive debut is more mature allowing John’s voice to shine over some nice melodies and dancers. The single ‘Save Room’ is like a late 60’s floor filler, ‘Heaven’ an understated dancer and ‘Another Again’ a full production mid tempo head nodder. The 60’s theme is maintained with the beat ballad ‘Slow Dance’, and the shuffler ‘Maxine’, with the highlights being the motown style dancers ‘Each Day Gets Better’ and the great P.D.A (We just don’t care). Add a few piano led ballads like ‘Again’, ‘Where Did My Baby Go’ and Coming Home’ and you have a strong album.
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NATALIE WILLIAMS – SECRET GARDEN

Very strong and varied album from the UK singer, by far her best to date. The flute led ‘Secret Garden’, ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Don’t It Feel Good’ are great Organic style dancers. ‘Psychedelic Love’ is a nice mid tempo plodder with strings, ‘Conversation’ ft Nate James and ‘Dance For Me’ are more contemporary dancers. The up-tempo ‘This Girl’ has an early 70’s Invictus feel to it, as do the mid tempo dancer ‘Wall’ and the cover of ‘To Know You Is to Love You’, whilst the excellent beat ballad ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ has a 6o’s feel. Highly Recommended.
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REAL KOFY BROWN – LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO – MECCA SESSION

Incredible live session from one of our favourite word-song singers backed by an acoustic band (drums, piano, guitar, dbl bass) in a San Francisco restaurant. Kofy’s vocals soar over the warm but funky and jazzy as hell band. The driving ‘Let It Go’, Atmospheric ‘Do’ and catchy ‘What Could Be’ are familiar tracks to KB fans but this session brings them to life like N’Dambi did on ‘Tunin Up’ to songs from her first album. ‘The menacing ‘Dope Fiend’, more mellow ‘Fender Rhodes’ and the great 16 min ‘Cat In The Hat’ are equally strong. This is music with an edge that you can really feel. Wish I’d been at the gig.
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RUSSELL TAYLOR – SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

Strong independent album from the soulful voiced Russell. ‘Hey Yeah’ is a fresh sounding up-tempo funky groover, ‘2B loved’ a nice mid tempo chugger and ‘Lady’ a strong mid tempo pulsating groove. Russell really excels on the smouldering mid tempo and beat ballads like ‘I Love You’, ‘How Deep’ , ‘Maybe I’ll Stay’, ‘Go Away’ and the title track. Well worth checking out.
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DARIEN BROCKINGTON – SOMEBODY TO LOVE

Darien’s music is at the soulful end of R&B in a similar territory to Raheem DeVaughn. The album mainly consists of mid tempo head nodding layered tracks like ‘Think It Over’, ‘More And More’, ‘Don’t Say Goodbye’, ‘I Got What You Want’ and the slightly slower ‘Come On Over’, ‘I Miss You’ and ‘Crazy’.
The highlights are the mid tempo dancers ‘He Will Break Your Heart’ and ‘Can We Fall In love’. its nice album, but would have greatly benefited by using real instruments.
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BRUCE GARDNER - BRUCE GARDNER

Good Indie album with a strong Maxwell feel, which also reminds me of the K’Alyn album of last year.
The album is mainly mid tempo head nodders, feat Bruce’s understated vocals like ‘He She You Me’, ‘That’s Me’ ,’Click’ and the hypnotic ‘Miss My Baby’ which has some nice keyboards. The highlights are the lightly funky foot taper’s ‘Your Man’ and ‘Madness’ and the moody slow beat ballad ‘Tonight’ (ala Gary Taylor) and the catchy ‘Kiddo’. This album grows on you with each play.
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TRAYCEE LYNN – THE AWAKENING

Sweet voiced singer/writer/journalist Traycee hails from Philadelphia (sounds a little bit like Erykah) makes a good organic soul album with an edge interspersed with extract from interviews with people like Jaguar Wright, Common, Saul Williams etc. ‘Music Of my Mind’ is the albums highlight an uplifting mid tempo groover which really hits the spot. ‘Salted Wounds’ and ‘Relax Unwind’ are nice acoustic Badu style catchy mid tempo ditty’s and the unusual ‘Video Whore’ , ‘Without The Tears’ and ‘I Don’t Have to Be Right’ are also worth checking. The Spoken Word ‘Bloody Waters’ and ‘Middle Passage’ are lyrically strong with good grooves. Some of the language is explicit – unsuitable for children.
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W.ELLINGTON FELTON OUTROSPECTIVE ME THEN, ME NOW

We kick off with ‘Funky Feeling’ and then slip into the groove with ‘Postcards From The Edge’ which Feat. Eric Roberson. Other tracks of note include the up-tempo ‘I Want You Like Her’, ‘3 sides’ a soul/rap track which feat Sy Smith and the groove driven ‘How Dare You’.
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NICOLAY HERE

From what is primarily a hip hop album comes some soul gems in the way of ‘I Love The Way You Love Me’ feat. Darien Brockington. A mid tempo beat ballad. Yahzarah shines on ‘Adore’. Sy Smith sings the hook on ‘My Story’. A back in the day groove feat rapper Kay.
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GEORGE SOULE – TAKE A RIDE

Legendary Muscle Shoals songwriter/producers and occasional singer George Soule makes his first ever album, over 30 years after his brilliant classic ‘Get Involved’. Naturally his updated version is true to the original but gives it a slightly contemporary flavour. ‘Something Went Right’, ‘I’ll Be Your Everything’, ‘Shoes’ illustrate his country soul approach, whilst ‘My World Tumbles Down’, ‘Bend Over Backwards’ and the dancer ‘A Man Cant Be A Man’ show his southern soul roots. The atmospheric haunting ‘Find The Time’ is a highlight, but ‘Get Involved’ is still such an awesome track it overshadows everything else.
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JOCELYN BROWN – UNRELEASED

14 unreleased tracks recorded by strong voiced Jocelyn between 2001-5. Highlights are the funky dancer ‘She’d Call’, the typically Jocelyn dancers ‘Find Someone To Love’, ‘Real Thing’, ‘Hey You Over There’, the beaty ‘Don’t Make a Mistake’ , ‘Sweet Fine baby’ and the jazzier ‘Forever’. Well worth checkin out.
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VARIOUS - BROWNSWOOD BUBBLERS

There are many tracks of note, but check Shawn J Period’s ‘Places Everyone’, Colonel Red’s ‘Blue Eye Blak’, Nicole Willis superb soul dancer ‘Feeling Free’ and Ben Westbeech monster ‘Nothing Else’. Soul , Jazz and Leftfield of the highest order.
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AMY WINEHOUSE – BACK TO BLACK

Amy goes Soul and retro on her 2nd set. The autobiographical ‘Rehab’ a sixty soul style dancer. In fact 60’s and particularly Motown set the tone for the whole album, with a touch of old school reggae which suits her brassy delivery. A solid effort , but note it contains explicit lyrics.
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FRANK McCOMB THE TRUTH 2

At last Franks' legendary Motown album gets an official and properly mastered release, combined with the remainder of his Malibu Sessions with Steve Harvey. The ballads 'More Than Friends', 'Only In My Dreams', 'So Lovely', 'Labelled As Love' and 'Intimate Times' illustrate why Frank is often compared to Donny Hathaway, with sparse keyboards and THAT deep soulful voice. The cover of Stevie's 'Golden Lady' is of course brilliant, and the slightly more groove driven 'Somebody Like You', 'Do You Remember' and the outstanding 'Love Is On Its Way' are also highlights. Even if you have a bootleg copy, you need this version of this timeless album from one of the premier artists of our time. Unmissable.
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ANTHONY DAVID - RED CLAY CHRONICLES


Anthony's second album is in a similar vien to but improves upon his first. 'Stop Playin' is a great mid tempo soulful foot taper, 'Everything Is Everything', 'Smoke one' and 'Words' ft India Arie are slightly slower but retain the vybe. 'Atl Sunshine'and 'Something About You' are real feel good catchy mid tempo tunes, and the hypnotic 'Kin Folk' and funkier 'Shonuff' maintain the quality, but the real killer is the title track a social commentary in the style of Cunnie Williams or Gil Scott Heron pure magic. This album grows all over you and is Atlanta Soul at its best, quality listening music with an edge (like a modern day Bill Withers), and will appeal to those who dug PJ Morton's excellent 'Emotions' set.
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LIV WARFIELD EMBRACE ME
LIV WARFIELD EMBRACE ME CD £13.95
Most of this year this would have been one of albums of the month. Liv has a great voice bringing comparisons with Ledisi and Antionique, and a good band with particularly nice keyboards. 'ABC' ft Bernard Purdie is a slinky hard hitting funky dancer, 'I Decided' a beautiful mid tempo atmospheric beat ballad and 'Feeling Lonely' a great ballad. Most of the album is mid tempo with highlights the Organic groover 'Groove DJ', the floaters 'Embrace Me' and 'Get Away' , the funkier 'Sophisticated Sista' and 'Work For Me' and the jazzier 'Waiting'. One of the best female albums so far this year.
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MARCELL AND THE TRUTH HOPES TOO HIGH
What a great uplifting album featuring the deep soulful voiced Baltimore based Marcell and a great band. 'Never Leave You Lonely' is a great inspiring jerky dancer (with shades of Rance Allen group), 'Hopes Too High' and 'Cold Rain' have a 2 step groove, whiles the string laden 'Breathe Love' and 'Your Eyes' have a Maze Influence. 'Maybe I'm Not The Man' is a nice mid tempo ballad (ala In The Rain) and the slower 'Coming Home To You' builds into a great climax. 'Evil Woman' is a modern dancer (using the riff from Valdez In The Country) and the driving 'Sending Your Way' also standout in this consistent album.
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SOPHIA DARCELL - SOUL ECLECTIC
Very nice smooth and sultry album from Miami songstress, that reminds me of both Sade and the Kuh Ledesma album from a few years back. The catchy dancer '7 Seas' has a mildly funky backing, 'They Love Like That' is a modern dancer, 'Ceyrah' and 'Make up Your Mind' are mid tempo tracks with unusual backing. The mid tempo plodder 'Senor Alvarez' is another highlight. The full band play well throughout and the soft horns and acoustic guitar interspersing with Sophia's sophisticated voice gives the album a nice feel, that is familiar but refreshingly different, which will appeal to both soul and smooth jazz fans.
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GARY TAYLOR - RETRO BLACKNESS

Gary's best album for a few years, mainly consisting of the quality soulful mood music that he is known for. 'Love Like No Other' and 'Loving My People' are good mid tempo plodders, whilst 'Do You Know','Old School', 'As If', 'Soul Murder', 'Thought I Knew You' and the great 'Ghetto People' are typical Taylor atmospheric mid tempo grooves. The killer though is 'My Blackness' a great mid tempo dancer that really stands out.
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RAY ROBINSON - WHAT IT IS

Canadian Ray, produces an album that in places has a D'Angelo feel to it. 'My Heart' is a good dancer in a Raphael Saadiq style, 'I'm Down' 'Good Times' and 'Heaven' are beat led mid tempo plodders whilst 'Girlfriend' has a more commercial feel to it with its catchy hook line. The slower mid tempo 'Gone', 'Bad Times' and the atmospheric 'Pleasure Is Pain' are amongst the highlights and really make the D'Angelo connection, whilst 'Patiently Waiting' is a nice beat ballad. This album is a real grower and well worth the effort of getting into.
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GOVERNOR - SON OF PAIN
Powerful voiced Governor Washington makes a lyrically strong intense album that is a good mix of Soul and R&B, that has an edge and improves with every play. 'Blood Sweat And Tears' using a Bohannon sample has a Jahiem/Donell Jones feel and is the most instant track. 'Out Of My Hands', and 'Forgive Me' (sampling Creed/Bell 'Lazy Susan') are also hard hitting soul tracks. 'Destiny' and the Raphael Saadiq produced cover of Donny H's haunting 'Never Wanna Leave' are more mellow and soulful and the albums highlights, but also check the mid tempo ballads 'That's What I'm Talkin' and 'On My Way'.
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INCOGNITO BEES + THINGS + FLOWERS

Bluey hits a retro groove with this album primarily consisting of covers and re-arrangements.. Check Roy Ayers' 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine' featuring Joy Rose on vocals and the smouldering take of 'Summer In The City', where Carleen Anderson takes the lead. Maysa adds her unique vocals to the evergreen 'Thats The Way Of The World'. Several Incognito classics are given different semi-acoustic takes including 'Always There' and 'Still A Friend Of Mine'.
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SUPER-PHONICS INTERSTELLAR
This selection of fine soulful and upbeat grooves is provided by a collection of stellar UK session players. Try the driving riff-laden 'Dial L For Love' or the funkier Clavinet led 'Give A Little Love'. Linda Williams' 'Elevate Our Minds' is given a flute driven jazzy re-working, whereas 'Interstellar' is an early 80's style British Jazz Funk dancer. 'Everybody' follows a similar theme (Incognito/Freeez influence). Highly recommended.
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YVONNE GAGE - S/T

Welcome return from the 80's soulstress, this is the remastered version of an album from earlier this year.
'See Ya Again' is a good mid tempo foot taper, 'Surrender' a funky head nodder whilst 'Stuck On You', and 'Stay A While With Me' are nice beat ballads. 'Hey Boy' is another good ballad, and the powerhouse funky dancer 'Rainbow' is the albums highlight.
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V/A CLASSIC DETROIT STYLE R&B

A new album of 60's/70's/80's style soul. The highlights are the 80's style modern soul plodder 'Cant Help But Say I'm Sorry', and the 70's style modern dancers 'Give It What Cha Got' by Funk Factory and 'Anytime You Need Love' by Forte ft Jose Hamilton. Also check the dancer Charles Davies 'Born Again', the upbeat 'Over The Hills, Through The Woods' by Bluestown ft Melvin Davis, and the two steppers Arnell Carmichael 'Cant Help But Say Sorry' and Forte ft Scott Reo 'I'll Be Around'. This album will appeal to those who liked the Unifics album of last year.

AMP FIDDLER - AFRO STRUT


Amp's second album is actually stronger than his great debut. 'Faith' is a great funky foot tapper with a great B-Line. 'Right Where you Are', the unusual 'If I Don't' and 'Ridin' are all relentless dancers, 'Find My Way' a nice mid tempo plodder with a catchy hook and 'Hustle' a string laden atmospheric mid tempo groove (ala Hutson/Curtis). The beautiful melodic duet with Stephanie McKay 'Heaven' which features Bluey on guitar is one of the best tracks of the year so far. Outstanding album.
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MALA WALDRON - ALWAYS THERE

Quality vocal jazz with soulful overtones (ala Rachelle Ferrell/Carmen Lundy), from another lady with a famous father (the late pianist Mal Waldron). ‘Whispers In The Wind’ is a killer jazzy soul midtempo floater, ‘Ellie’ a scat vocal jazz dancer (ala Tania Maria) showing Mala’s keyboard skills, whilst ‘BVeacuae Of you’, ‘Always There’, ‘Too Good For Words’ and ‘I Do Remember You’ are more jazzy. Mala has a great deep soulful voices and this is best illustrated on the catchy midtempo soulful ‘Cant Stop Thinking About You’, the upper mid tempo ‘Maybe Its Not So’ and her slinky cover of ‘Light My Fire’.
This is quality throughout and probably the best jazzy soul album so far this year.
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YOLANDA JOHNSON - VIOLET FLOWER

Great Organic soul album from the daughter of Samuel Jonathan (of ‘My Music’ fame). Mainly consisting of funky mid tempo organic dancers like ‘Fly.. Shine’, ‘Keep It Moving’ , ‘Doing Dirty’ and best of all ‘Individual’, it also includes the great hypnotic mid tempo floaters ‘Running’ and ‘Change’ and probably the outstanding track is the slightly slower and more soulful ‘Get 2 Know U’ . Although only seven full tracks, this is possibly the best ‘Organic’ album of the year so far.
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CHERYL PEPSII RILEY - LET ME BE ME
Strong third album from Cheryl , possibly her best to date is lyrically strong and well sung as you would expect. Quality throughout the highlights are the mid tempo ‘Hold On’, ‘Cool’, ‘I’m Here’ ‘Come Over’ and Miss U’, the foot tapper ‘First Time’ and the funky dancer ‘I’m Like Every Other Woman’ (sampling Chaka) . also cherck the beat ballad ‘No But I Want To So Bad’ and the unusual title track.
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RONI - CALL ME

Subtitled ‘The Sexy Lady Of Southern Soul’ Rhonda McCullum (Roni) has a powerful soulful voice, which is strong throughout the album. The up beat ‘Do You Want’, and ‘Hit It Writer’ are winners, along with the more typical southern mid tempo dancers ‘Lets Shake It’ and ‘Cheatin On Me’. Roni’s voice is best suited though to the ballads ‘Call Me’ , ‘Love Grows’, ‘Not Gonna’, ‘Fool On My Hands’ and ‘Cant Stop A Good Thing’. One of the best southern soul album for a while, if liked the Ms Monique album , then you should love this.
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TERISA GRIFFIN - MY NAKED SOUL
TERISA GRIFFIN - MY NAKED SOUL CD £12.95
Terisa posesses one of those classic soul voices that ooze emotion with every nuance, like a Brenda Russell or Roberta Flack. Check the slow 'Did You Ever' with some nice rhodes backing or the slightly faster 'Sunshine', or 'Wonderful all timeless tracks. The midtempo 'Rose Coloured Glasses', 'Love Changed' and the catchy 'Alright' are also great songs, with sympathetic real instrumentation.'Cigarette In The RAin' is more contemporary but still very soulful. This is a very unusual album of its time, no dancers, beats or grooves just quality pure naked soul, and very refreshing for it, check it out !
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CONYA DOSS - LOVE RAIN DOWN

Conya's third album is again produced by Myron and mainly reflects his trademark mix of Soulful and R&B flavas. 'Tell Me Why', 'Find A Way' and 'Never Mind' are nice mid tempo plodders, 'Those Wur De Dayz' is a funky dirge like groover, 'Beautiful Thing' is slightly faster but retains the groove. 'The One' is a great mid tempo ballad with interesting chords showing her sweet voice to its best, and 'Why Did You' is a great uptempo jazz dancer and for me the highlight of the album.
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SLY - CHI
SLY CHI - WAVE SOUNDS CD £12.95
Brassy, funky grooves from Portland Maine. This large group remind me of Tower of Power, Pleasure and in places early Brand new Heavies, full of energy, supertight, a full horn section and four singers. 'Wave Sound', Step on Up' Lost in Time' and 'Emotions' are all relentless funky grooves. 'Waiting For The Sun' , 'Animo' and 'I Can do' are slighlty jazzier but still funky whilst 'Hold On' and 'Its Everything' are more vocal and mellow being almost 2 step in pace. Another very different sounding album, well worth checking.
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VANESSA HAYNES - STAY WITH ME
This excellent debut puts Vanessa's powerful voice in the spotlight. The album has a unique sound that combines the best of the British 90's Soul sound with more contemporary influences. There are four standouts: the jazzy dancer 'Steppin Out', the lilting mid-tempo 'I Wonder', and the similarly paced head nodder 'Embrace' and the awesome 'Somewhere Under The Radar'. Strong instrumentation compliment the lady's undoubted vocal prowess.
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KENNY THOMAS - CRAZY WORLD


One of the most anticipated albums of the year. ‘Crazy World’ has been a popular modern soul dancer for a couple of years, and is typical of the rest of the album. ‘I Will’ is a punchy brassy dancer, ‘No Way In No Way Out’ another dancer with a late 70s Barry White feel, and ‘Sunshine Girl’ probably the best new uptempo track on the album. ‘Him’ is a great mid tempo funky dancer with great strings (ala Hutson),
‘Fooling Around’ is of a similar tempo , and the slightly slower’ Let It Rain’ also hit the mark. Strong album, - one of the best blue - eyed soul albums of recent times. View all KENNY THOMAS Titles

MISA MALONE – SHADES OF BLUE

Great new soulful voiced soulstress from the Bay Area makes a strong debut, one of the best female albums so far this year. Strong throughout , the highlights are ‘You Are My Heaven’ a great upper midtempo floater with a catchy hook (musically like Maze), ‘Whatcha Gon Do’ a mildly funky plodder with positive lyrics, the mid tempo floater ‘Free’ and the dancer ‘Love Found Me’. Also check the melodic beat ballads ‘Wondering’, ‘Shades Of Blue’ and ‘I Am Loved’. We’ve waited a long time for an album like this !!
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INDIA ARIE – TESTIMONY VOL 1 – LIFE + RELATIONSHIPS

India returns with her third set that underlines just what a fine songwriter and distinctive vocalist she is as illustrated by cuts like ‘These Eyes’, ‘Good Morning’ and the lovely ‘Private Party’. Try also the infectious single ‘I Am Not My Hair’. The album is infused with the relaxed, acoustic soulful vibe that characterised her brilliant debut ‘Acoustic Soul’ from a few years back.
Also available ‘Acoustic Soul’ and ‘Voyage To India’
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BRAND NEW HEAVIES - GET USED TO IT

N’Dea Davenport returns as lead vocalist of the Heavies and this album will appeal to their many fans. ‘We’ve Got’ , ‘Get Used To It’, ‘Sex God’ and especially ‘Right On’ are BNH style funky tracks. ‘Lets Do It Again’ and ‘All Fired Up’ see them in a disco/boogie groove (ala Chic) and along with ‘right On’ are the albums highlights. Also check the mid tempo ‘Love Is’, ‘Music’ and ‘I’ve Been Touched’ which add some variety. Far better than their last album.
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DONEL JONES – JOURNEY OF A GEMINI

Long awaited forth album from the soulful voiced Donel. Standout tracks are the mid tempo foot tappers ‘Im Gonna Be’, ‘Spend The Night’, ‘ Feelin You’ , ‘Lust Or Love’ and the excellent mid tempo ballads ‘Cry’ and ‘Special Girl’. Also check the nice R&B style ballads ‘My Apology’ and ‘Portrait Of A Woman’.
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LYNN FIDDMONT - FLOW
Good album of melodic jazzy soul from the soulful voiced Lynne. Highlights are ‘Flow’ a great mid tempo foot tapper, the floaters ‘Say’ and ‘Holiday’ and the slinky ‘Feels SO Right’, but the album oozes quality throughout
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DIVINE BROWN - DIVINE BROWN
A Strong contemporary Soul album, that combines different flavours. The killer song is the opener ‘Old skool Love’ but the ballad ‘My Cryin Eyes’ and down home feel of ‘U Shook Me’ run it close. ‘Longer Than I’ growls with understated bluesy Funk – gritty guitar riffs and wandering b-line underpin Devine’s powerful vocal. The set manages to sound very up to date and yet has a classic soul vibe mainly due to the vocal arrangements. If you liked Tasha’s World recent set then this is for you.
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JACQUI NOBLE - RELEASING EXPRESSIONS
Nice slightly jazzy tinged soul album from Atlanta, Jacqui has a voice in the mould of Jean Carn/Phyllis Hyman etc. The tracks are mainly mid tempo like the breezy brassy ‘Do You Know What You Want From Me’, ‘I’m Not Alone’ and the shuffling ‘You Said’ and ‘One Day’ and the ballad ‘Don’t Be Afraid’. If you liked the recent Lori Jenaire album you probably like this.
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V/A – THIS IS SOUL 2006


Another 16 great new independent artists featuring some of the outstanding tracks from the past year.
Incl P J Morton ‘No Ordinary Love’, Nuwamba ‘Forever’, Brown Baby Girl ‘Feels Like Love’, Chavous ‘Much Better’, Jazzhole ‘All The Ways’, Amar Khalil ‘Sunny Day’, Jeff Robinson ‘Waiting For The Tables To Turn’, Martha Redbone ‘Children Of love’ (excl chant and rap) and Natural Selection, Gabbie McGee, Crystal Night, Browns Bag, Inobe, , plus great new unreleased tracks from LaSonya Gunther ‘Ummm Hmmm’, Darien ‘Where Its At’ and Iman Williams ‘Just Wanna Be With You’. Essential
Also available : ‘This Is Soul 2005

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VARIOUS ARTISTS - GROOVE ON DOWN 2
Another 12 outstanding in demand disco/boogie tracks from late 70’s/early 80’s, many appearing on Cd for first time. Inc Rose Royce ‘Still In Love’, Whatnauts ‘Help Is On The Way’, Rhyze ‘Bizzaar’, Ozone ‘Our Hearts Will Always Shine’, Mandrill ‘Stay Tonite’, Active Force’ Give Me Your Love’ , Carol Williams ‘Cant Get Away From Your Love’, Brooklyn Express ‘You Need A Change Of Mind’, World Premiere ‘Share The Night’, Jackie Moore ‘This Time Baby’, Gwen Guthrie ‘Seventh Heaven’ and Cheryl Lynn ‘Got To Be Real’ all sounding better than ever, Groove on Down !!
Also AVAILABLE: Groove On Down (VOL 1)


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MIKE AVERY - DESTINATION LOVE

This is a quality soul album in the mould of Ty Causey or the softer side of Jeff Robinson of mainly mis tempo tracks and ballads that is great throughout. Chicago based Mike has a really nice soulful voice and he excels on the great beat ballad ‘Fantasy’ and the 2 stepper ‘Loveland’ as well as the mellow grooves of the title track, ‘Something That A Woman Needs’ , ‘Ill be Watching You’ and the ballad ‘Its True’. Also check the slightly faster but quality mid tempo soul of ‘Miss Lady’. Good listening album.

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JAMES DAY - BETTER DAYS

James recreates the sound of 80's soul and features the vocals of Audrey Wheeler, Jeff Ramsey, Catherine Russell and Jill Zardeh. 'Dont Waste The Pretty' has been a modern soul favourite for many months and is a great track. 'Brick By Brick' and 'Better Days' (Steppers mix) are great dancers and along with the mid tempo foot tapper 'Shes Not The Girl' show off Audrey's powerful vocals. 'One Good Thing' feat Jill is a nice mid tempo floater and 'Loves Taking Over' feat DQuest , another dancer. Quality throughout.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS - UNDERGROUND SOUL

Superb compilation that selects 15 of the finest Nu Soul tracks with a groove, including the strong cuts from Silhouette Brown's CD 'Just A Little More', Positive Flow's 'City Streets' and Ivana Santilli's 'Deserve'. Try also Deborah Bond's exquisite Latin tinged dancer 'This Is Me', Brigitte's wonderfully enigmatic 'Take Me', and Jiva's 'Sun & Moon'. Awesome.
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CHOKLATE - CHOKLATE

From the label that brought you Rebirth, a second superstar is born. This selection of contemporary Soul hits the bullseye with cuts like the riff-laden mid-tempo dancer 'Never Change', and the Hip Hop tinged Funk of the single 'Waitin' is raw and tough. Check also the lilting 'Getting Is Good', which possesses an atmospheric vibe. The Rare Groove feel of 'Bigger than You' is captivating a perfect summer cut. Excellent debut.
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LIBERTY SILVER - AT LAST

This superb album combines Soul and Jazz. The singer's graceful vocals excels on the Latin tinged 'Jazz In The Eyes Of God' and the cover of 'Don't Ask My Neighbours'. On 'Show Me The Way To Love', Liberty sounds uncannily like Phyllis Hyman whilst the jazzier side of things is highlighted on 'Alabama Blu'. 'Your Sweet Love' has a subtle funky Jazz groove, and the gorgeous 'Rain Rain' is simply beautiful with its hook laden female harmonies
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JOSLYN ft SO VERY
LISTEN

Fine groove driven Soul that echoes the sound of early 90's British groups like Brand New Heavies and Incognito. Try 'Used To' or the innovative take on loose End's 'Hanging On A String'. The understated hook laden 'Jackie's Playin Tonight' and the tougher 'Got To Keep On' add spice and variety. Highly recommended.
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NIGEL HALL - FACE OF THINGS TO COME

An album that comprises of Soul and Jazz tracks. On the Jazz side, nice covers of Freddie Hubbard's 'Red Clay' and Ronnie Laws 'Always There' stand out funky Jazz Fusion takes that stay true to the originals. Try also the gritty 'Shuffle'. On the Soul tip the mid-tempo 'I Can't Help It', the mellow 'In Love Again' and the groove driven 'Destination'.
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PEVAN EVERETT - EASY LIVIN

This is probably Peven's best album to date, he seems to mature with every album. A winner from start to finish with loads of stand out tracks like 'Bangin', 'Chuch' a wicked jazzy instrumental, 'Got To Get Down' and 'Put Your Back In It'. This collection of tracks will keep any educated dance floor happy. A very well put together set which puts me in mind of his live gigs. Get involved a must for all Nu Soul fans
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TRAVIS BLAQUE - MANY FACETS OF...

Only a few rappers have managed to incorporate Soul music successfully into the Hip Hop art form Travis is one of them. UK based and drawing in such talent as Noel McKoy who delivers on the funky "Al Is Dead" 'Let Me Be The One' is a fine example of Hip Hop Soul. Almost spoken word & lovely hook sung by Lionel. Sexual politics are covered in 'In Pursuit Of The Flesh'. And check out the brilliant ode to his son 'A Song For Troy'. Impressive
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OSUNLADE - AQUARIAN MOON

This album pushes back the boundaries of soulful dance you'd expect nothing less from Osunlade with African and Middle Eastern influences. Standouts are the title song, the Eastern tinged 'Flow', 'Fingerblood' and the funky 'Circles' with jazzy keys and drums. 'Casablanca Soul' lives upto its title, whilst 'Inspiration' is wonderfully mellow.
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ISLEY BROTHERS - BABY MAKIN' MUSIC

The Isley Brothers return with a selection of down/mid-tempo tunes that fuse Ronald's classic Soul voice with contemporary RnB/Soul beats. R Kelly produced and sings on the archetypal Kelly sounding 'Blast Off'. The album works best on the straightahed ballads like 'Show Me' and 'Beautiful' where Ronald's voice excels.
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JOSEPHINE SINCERE - WILDFLOWER

Young Philly singer delivers an album that has touches of RnB in its Soul. Josephien shines on the mid-tempo cuts like ;I Like It', 'Snowflake' and the inspired 'Do You Love Me'. Try also 'Sweet Harmony' or the covers of 'Wildflower' and 'A Song For You'. Josephine's voice is soulful, contemporary, powerful yet vulnerable. Nice album.
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BILLY GRIFFIN - LIKE WATER

The Ex Miracle returns with a soft soul album that could have been recorded fifteen years or more ago.
'Like Water' is a nice breezy mid tempo floater, as are 'Forgive Me', 'Livin Déjà vu' , 'Oxygen' and 'Weak', but this is an overall easy on the ear mood album rather than having any standout tracks.
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LEFTIES SOUL CONNECTION - HUTSPOT

Dutch Funk band that hit the deep and heavy Funk button. Phat drums, heavy Hammond and nagging guitar licks define their sound. This CD comprises of their now sought after sevens such as 'V2', 'Doin The Thing' and 'Generator Oil' and will satisfy all Funk fans and for something different try their take on DJ Shadow's 'Organ Donor'
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JAZZHOLE - POET'S WALK
LISTEN LISTEN

5th and best album from the NY band that features Marlon Saunders as lead vocalist. Outstanding production and Instrumentation combine with thoughtful lyrics and Marlon’s soulful voice to produce one of the albums of the year. Highlights are ‘All The Ways’ is an upbeat funky dancer, ‘Jonesin’ a mid tempo groove with great keyboards, the interesting cover of Boz Scaggs ‘Lowdown’, and the beautiful melodic
duet ‘It Would Have Been Enough’, which has a haunting feel and catchy hook. Also check the mid tempo grooves ‘Do It Right’ and the lilting ‘Timeless’. Many people are comparing this album to Maxwell’s ‘Urban Hang Suite’, it’s that good, and like the Anthony Hamilton set it raises the bar by which all other albums will be judged this year. This is Quality listening music.
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CHAVOUS - LIFE WITHOUT LIMIT

Fresh sounding, great album from new Independent Philly artist ‘Chavous’, who will be compared to Jill Scott. ‘Without Limit’ is a great soulful/R&B dancer, ‘Much Better’ a really nice upper mid tempo foot taper, ‘Iyei’ a funky chugger, and ‘Gone’ a mid tempo floater’. Also check the mid tempo duet with Chris Thompson ‘My World’, the mid tempo groover ‘Thank U’ and the partially spoken word ‘Mother’.
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KLOUD 9 PRESENT - THE VIBE ROOM

Expansion Records present 14 Kloud 9 productions that will appeal to lovers of the brothers two albums. Standout is the upbeat ‘Runnin; from Maysa, but check Men-nefer’s mid-tempo ‘Jonesin’ and 2-Way’s ‘Everything You Need’. Tim Dillinger’s ‘Ooh Baby I’ hits a fine laid-back Sunday afternoon groove. Smooth Jazz aficionados will go for Aletha Rene’s ‘I Can’ and Michael Fair’s ‘Chill Funk’.
Also available Kloud 9 ‘On Kloud 9’ £13.95, ‘Yearning To Love’ £12.95

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VAN HUNT - ON THE JUNGLE FLOOR

Follow-up to his much heralded debut, shows Van in ‘Prince’ mode with hints of the soulful end of Parliament/Bootsy etc. Check the understated ‘Being A Girl’, the languid ‘Priest Or Police’ and the P Funk tinged ‘Suspicion’. ‘Character’ has more of a mid 70’s vibe. If you like your Soul a bit different and can ignore the Rock tinged cuts then this may be for you.
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NATURAL SELECTION - COME ON OVER

Natural Selection are an 8 piece band from Philadelphia. The Cello in the background makes their live sound stark, dark and distinctive. The highlights are ‘Get Through’ a haunting mid tempo foot taper with poignant lyrics, ‘Meant To be’ and the funkier ‘Come On Over’ and ‘Fly Away’ and the slinky jazzy ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ . This album gets better each time you hear it, recommended to those who like quality music but with a different twist.
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RACHAEL CALLADINE - LIFE LOVE AND GOSSIP

Quality British Soul with a jazzy vibe produced by US3’s Geoff Wilkerson, Rachael possesses a wispish voice that suits the UK feel of this album. Cuts like the head nodder ‘With You’ and the heavier ‘Picking You Up’ with their synth bass riffs are the stand out tracks, but also check ‘Liar’, ‘Be Free’ and ‘Higher’
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PHIL PERRY - CLASSIC LOVE SONGS

Phil’s clear and pure Soul vocals sound sweet on this selection of popular 70’s songs. Highlights are ‘People Make The World Go Round’, ‘I Want You’, ‘I’ll Be Around’, ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’ and ‘Just My Imagination’. Ultra smooth, this relaxed selection maintains a consistent mid-tempo feel that allows Phil’s outstanding voice to shine.
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UNIFIED TRIBE - FUNKTIONAL FAMILY (FROM 18TH APRIL)

Third album from the group who have a similar sound to’The Chapter’. Best tracks are the catchy dancers ‘That beat’, ‘Happy Go Lucky’ and ‘Keep Keeping On’ and the uptempo funky dancer ‘Get The Funk’.
Also check the mid tempo ballad ‘I’ll Do Anything’ and their cover of LTD’s ‘Back In Love’.
Quality soul from a large group that has a slight 80’s feel to it.

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MAYSA - SWEET CLASSIC SOUL

Of all the current covers/tribute albums, Maysa's 'Sweet Classic Soul' is the strongest. It takes a vocalist of her stature, power and individuality to stamp these great songs with her own personality. Ten superb tracks, the pick of which is Barry White's 2 Step paced 'Playing Your Game Baby', the upbeat 'Any Love' and Stevie's 'All I Do'. Maysa excels on the ballads like 'Wishing On A Star', 'Love Won't Let Me Wait' and Teddy's sensual 'Come Go With Me'. Guest include Smooth Jazz sax star Kim Waters.
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WHISPERS - FOR YOUR EARS ONLY

Nearly a decade since their last album 'Songs of Babyface' the evergreen Whispers return with an album that will please their many fans. Vocally the group are outstanding throughout, musically its exactly what you would expect. The dancers 'Get It On' and 'Diamonds' are delights, Major Harris' 'Love Wont Let me Wait' is made into a modern day stepper, 'Love Strokin', 'Livvin It Up' and the title track are classic Whispers 2 steppers. The ballads 'Don't Say No', 'Butta' (prod by Teena Marie), 'Hold On' and Ollie Woodson's 'Can I Get Next To You' show where the group are most comfortable. A Great Return.
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BROWN BABY GIRL - S/T

Outstanding jazz tinged soul album with an edge from BBG (Lorenda Robinson voc and Jamie Finegan Keyboards/trumpet, aided by other musicians). Lorenda's powerful jazzy but soulful vocals are great throughout and the music really grooves (think Lesette Wilson). 'Feels Like Love' is the standout a Roy Ayers style mid tempo dancer, but also check the upbeat 'The Race' , 'Cake' and 'Devotion' ,and the slolwer but building 'Been Here Before' which has a great hook. This is an album to really get into as it gets better with each play.
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JUNIOR - OCEANS

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JEFF ROBINSON - EYE WITNESS

Outstandingly produced (by Rodney Jones) jazz tinged soul album from the so soulful voiced Jeff (ala Bill Withers). The hard hitting driving 'NY Minute' is a funky jazz groove with some great flugelhorn playing from Ralph Rickett. The funky midtempo 'Waiting For The Tables To Turn' is the stand out track with a great groove. The hypnotic 'Hallucination Reign' and 'After All' are slower slinky midtempo grooves, and 'Moments' a more upbeat song with a great hook. The unusual covers of 'Look What You've Done For' and 'Change is Gonna Come' are also worthwhile. Jeff's voice, the lyrics and the production are the albums real highlights of a great listening album.
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SHANICE - EVERY WOMAN DREAMS

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LAB ADDICTS - ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF SOUL
Lab Addicts hail from New Jersey and make an album that will appeal to the Modern soul crowd and may crossover to the R&B scene as well. 'Move All Night' and 'Don't U Know' are strong modern dancers, 'Apologise' is a good mid tempo dancer that reminds me of The Chapter's album, whilst 'Groove On (remix) is an R&B dancer and 'Movement' an 80's style dancer. No sleeve, but worth checking out.

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CORRINE BAILEY RAE - S/T

This album has the potential to be one of the cult classics of the decade in the same way 'Baduism' was in the 90's and Sade's 'Diamond Life' in the 80's. Corrine's vulnerable voice along with her soul/jazz/folk influenced songs will bring comparisons with Erykah, Sade and Tracey Chapman. 'Enchanment' and 'Seasons Change' are nice Badu style mid tempo plodders, the orchestrated 'Breathless' , 'Till It Happens To You' (with nice Rhodes) and 'Trouble Sleeping' are good ballads, and 'I'd Like To' and 'Call Me When You Get This' are more upbeat funky groovers. Don't be put off if this crosses over, it's a great album and hopefully it may make quality Black Music commercially viable again

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AMAR KHALIL - WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY
Current lead singer with Toni Tony Tone makes an album produced by Jamie Hawkins that will appeal to fans of the group and former leader Raphael Saadiq. Featuring mainly mid tempo jerky dancers like 'Higher', 'Thank You', 'I See You', 'Solitary' and the standout 'Sunny Day' one of the best tracks of the year so far. Also check the slower 'Quickly'. Amar's soulful voice dominates throughout this excellent if slightly short set.


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MARTHA REDBONE - SKIN TALK

Outstanding album from Native American Martha, who possesses a powerful soulful voice reminiscent in places of Phyllis Hyman or Linda Clifford. Musically the album has shades of mid 70's Rufus and EWF with some great melodies and funky rhythms, but Martha has her own style that really shines through. It includes two of tracks of the year so far, the beautiful mid-tempo 'Future Street' and 'Children Of Love' (rhythm to Thats The Way Of The World). Other Highlights are the slightly slower 'Just Because' and the driving groove of 'God Created Woman' feat some nice keyboards from co writer/produced Aaron Whitby. Also check the funkier 'Hard Livin' and Brenda Russell infl 'Atlas' and 'Merry Go Round' . A strong and varied album that is highly recommended.

TASHAS WORLD - WORLD DOMINATION

Now available in the UK, the strong second album from Holland's finest, 'Past lives' is a nice bouncy mid-tempo dancer, 'Glowing(Growing)' is more upbeat, where as 'Corny Love Song' a pleasing beat ballad. 'Brown Blue Eyes' is atmospheric, and 'Move Ya Hips' has an Omar feel and 'Fed Up' is possibly the best cut on this fine album as it builds and builds.
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REEL PEOPLE - SECOND GUESS (NEW VERSION)

Repromotion of their album from a couple of years back with added tracks and a live CD. The album is mostly uptempo soul like the excellent 'The Rain' feat Sharlene Hector, and 'Cant Stop', 'In The Rain' and 'You Used to hold me so Tight' feat Angela Johnson. Also check the jazzier 'Second Guess' feat Jag, ,the breezy dancer 'The Light' feat Vanessa Freeman and the funkier 'Back 2 Base' ft Dyanna Fearon.
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JAHEIM - GHETTO CLASSICS
Jaheim's third album is a mixture of Soul and R&B. 'The Chosen One' sampling Willie Hutch's orchestrated 'I Choose You' is the standout . The other great soul tracks are the mid tempo 'Daddy Thing', 'I Aint Never', '125th', 'Masterpiece' and 'Come Over' which allow Jaheim's soulful voice to shine over sympathetic arrangements. Classics maybe not, but well worth checking.

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NICOLE WILLIS - KEEP REACHIN UP
VINYL NOW IN STOCK
This excellent new album sounds as if it were recorded in the late 60's/early 70's.'Feeling Free' and the brilliant 'If This Aint Love' are like early 70's modern dancers, 'My Four Leaf Clover' and 'A Perfect Kind Of Love' and 'Invisible Man' are mock motown almost Northern stompers. 'Keep Reachin Up and 'Blues Downtown' and instrumental 'Soul Investigators Theme' are deep funkers. If you like Sharon Jones then this album is for you.
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EMMANUEL - D'ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

REVIEW FOLLOWS
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MIKE HAMMOND - S/T

Mike has a distinctive unemotional voice with some similarities to Leon Ware's, and it is the focal point throughout this album, which is a mix of soul and R&B. Soul highlights are 'The Morning After' a slinky mid tempo groover (ala D'Angelo) with some nice muted trumpet and a catchy hook line. 'Stayw/me' (sampling War World Is A Ghetto)a great eerie mid tempo groove, and the funkier 'I Want You (sampling Rufus 'You Got The Love'). Also check 'Can I' a bass led ballad and the mid tempo 'Holdin On'.
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NATURAL SELECTION - COME ON OVER

Natural Selection are an 8 piece band from Philadelphia. The Cello in the background makes their live sound stark, dark and distinctive. The highlights are 'Get Through' a haunting mid tempo foot taper with poignant lyrics, also check 'Meant To be' and the funkier 'Come On Over' and 'Fly Away' and the slinky jazzy 'Time To Say Goodbye' . Recommended to those who like quality music but with
a different twist.
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PERSUADERS - MADE TO BE LOVED
LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN
The group best known for their epic 'Thin Line Between Love and Hate', deliver a surprisingly good male vocal harmony album in the style of Whispers/Temps etc. The title track, 'Never Stop Loving You', 'All Up In Your Love' and 'This Time Next Year' are all good upper mid tempo dancers. 'Mama', 'Never Stop Loving You', 'What About You', 'As One' and 'She Mine' are all good mid tempo steppers. Add to this a few nice ballads and you have a quality Old Skool Soul album, 2006 style, at its best
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V- THE REVELATION IS NOW TELEVISED
LISTENLISTEN LISTEN
Available at last, V's album is brilliant in places and good throughout. 'Confess' is an uplifting mildly funky (ala 70's Marvin) upper mid tempo foot tapper, 'Best Friend' an organic style chugger, and the haunting beat ballads 'Still' and 'Hey Pretty Baby' are all good tracks. The outstanding tracks are the haunting atmospheric ' Born Again' feat a poetic cameo appearance from Jill Scott and the beautiful almost two-step message song 'Who Would I Be'. This album gets better with every play, stick with it and reap your reward.
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LEW KIRTON - FOREVER
LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN
Big voiced Lew returns with a nice album. It features mid tempo dancers like 'If It Aint Cool', 'Stay The Night', 'On The Money' and 'Were In Love'. Lew really excels on ballads and 'Forever' and 'Choose You' are the highlights of the album along with the modern soul dancer 'I Think I Can'. This album will appeal to his existing fans plus those who like quality retro 80's sounding soul.
Also available 'Just Arrived and 'Talk To Me'
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JEFF HENDRICK - SOUL CELEBRATION
LISTEN
Canadian singer, keyboard and sax playing Jeff releases an outstanding modern soul album which far exceeds expectations from his debut 'Bout time'. from a couple of years ago. 'Celebrate', 'Old School Party', 'I Just Wanna Dance', 'Summertime', 'You're All I Wanted' and 'She's So Sexy' are all good modern dancers. 'I Like The Way' and 'One Ya Want' are mid tempo foot tapers and 'Luv U Down' a nice ballad. Strong album throughout that will appeal to modern soul crowd and win him many new fans.
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TEMPTATIONS - REFLECTIONS
LISTEN
The ever reliable Temptations record an album produced by Steve Harvey and Benjamin Wright of classic Motown tracks (mainly 60's ballads), that they never recorded back in the day. 'Can I get A Witness', 'Aint No Mountain High Enough' , 'What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted', 'Never Can say Goodbye' and 'Neither One Of Us' stand out most. Although vocally you can't fault the Temps (especially the superb G C Cameron) this album lacks the contemporary edge that their excellent 'Legacy' album had. Also recommended 'Legacy'


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JEFF ROBINSON - EYE WITNESS

JEFF ROBINSON EYEWITNESS £14.95 Soulful voiced, jazz tinged Jeff releases his second album, after a 7 year wait. The highlights are 'Waiting For The Tables To Turn' is a nice mid tempo floater, 'Moments' a driving mildy funky foot tapper and 'Hallucination Reign' a mid tempo groove. Also check the slower title track, and 'after All'. This is a quality listening album.
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DA JUAN - CHAPTER ONE

Strong vocals define this set that fuses Soul and RnB flavours. His voice is particularly poignant on the ballads like 'The Way' and its purity shines on 'Fall In Love'. The 2 Step groove of 'Essence Of A Woman' and 'Can't Live (that samples Luther Ingram's 'If Loving You Is Wrong') focuses on his soulful side. Nice album. View all DA JUAN Titles

TEMIKA MOORE -DOING JUST FINE

Follow up to her excellent debut 'Moment Of Truth'. Highlights are the funky message song 'My Side Of The Street', the floater 'Fruit', the midtempo 'Let It Go', the interesting cover of Isley Brothers 'Groove With You', and the Amani Remix of 'A Woman' an uptempo dancer with a good groove. Also recommended 'Moment Of Truth
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BROWN'S BAG - LABOR OF LOVE
LISTEN
Excellent soul album featuring brothers Ward and Sherrod Brown, a real throwback to 70's style soul with real instruments and great harmonies. Mainly mid tempo groovers like the excellent 'Things You Say', 'Heaven' and the two step 'No More Love'. The ballads 'Love Never Comes Around', 'Fall In Love' and 'Open Letter' are also great, and check the uptempo almost boogie 'What About This'. What a great start to the year for real soul fans.
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SY SMITH - PSYKOSOUL (PLUS)
LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN
Unreleased album from 2002, released for the first time (on CDR) along with some bonus tracks. The catchy 'That Ring' and funkier 'Waiting Contemplating' will be known to many from our Organic Soul 3 comp, and are both great tracks. 'Deep Sleep (Axis Remix) is a nice bouncy mid tempo track showing off SY's sweet harmonic voice. 'Good and Strong' the mellow 'Distance' , her cover of N'Dambi's 'Broke My Heart' (sampling Brothers Johnson), and the funky dancers 'Do Things' and 'Welcome Back' are also highlights. Good solid album that gets better each play. Also recommended 'Syberspace Social CD£14.95
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STEVE 'THE SCOTSMAN' HARVEY - EVERYDAY PEOPLE PROJECT VOL 1
Producer Steve Harvey's varied Everyday People features an all star cast and some fine tracks. Best of all is Ledisi's magnificent 'I Cant Let You Go' a funky mid tempo 70's style track with an edge that allows her voice to soar. K.K. Isleys style 'Where Has The Love Gone', Rahsaan Patterson's plodding dancer 'Thats The Way' , Pretty Terry's dancer 'Shake It Off', and the more mellow Linn 'Troubled Times' and N'Dambi and Keite Young 'If We Were Alone'. Also available 4 track Vinyl EP feat Linn, N'Dambi/Keite Young and N'Dambi 'Shake It Off' £6

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CRYSTAL - SWEET MELODIES
Great album from Atlanta singer Crystal recorded in Europe with a full band, comparable in places ot Tasha's world or Alison Crockett. 'Welcome' is a great mid tempo track that really builds. The mid tempo 'No Love Lost' and 'You Inspire' are also highlights, and the dancers 'Live Free', 'What I Feel' and especially 'Vin Rouge' are good dancers. Solid album throughout well worth checking out.


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DARNELL KENDRICKS - STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
Strange title, but good soulful album. 'Willing' and 'Jones In My Bones' are good modern dancers, 'Good Love' a nice floater and 'Cant Wait' a good ballad. The title track is a big production jazzy foot taper, 'Yours Truly' a dancer with a heavier backbeat and 'A Soft Answer' is a nice mid tempo plodder. Solid album that will appeal to the contemporary modern soul crowd.


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COSTIE PAYNE - FAR FROM PERFECT


New soul singer debuts with an album thats half great soul and half not so great hip hop. Highlights are the Ray Smith/Adonis penned songs the mid tempo 'We Don't Have To Say Goodbye', the two stepper 'We Go On And On' and best of all the mid tempo dancer 'All I Wanna Do' where he duets with Alex Day. All check the atmospheric ballads 'Unborn Child' and 'Falling In Love'. which are also good.
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MS MONIQUE - SOUL SESSIONS
Quality Southern style soul from Ms Monique who fits into the Shirley Brown/Denise La Salle bag. 'Mr Do Right' is a catchy mid tempo old school soul track and the albums highlight, but also check the ballads 'Lollipop', 'Love Therepy'. 'Slow And Easy' and 'Ooh Baby' and the more uptempo 'Get Up' and 'Do You Wanna Step With Me'. Good album with fine singing that would have benefited from real instruments.

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MARY J BLIGE - BREAKTHROUGH

Mary produces one of her best albums, incl the heavily orchestrated 'No One Will Do', hip hop soul 'gonna Breakthrough', 'MJB DA MVP', 'Baggage' and 'Cant Hide From Luv'. The album really comes to life on the soul tracks 'Good Woman Down', 'Father In You' and 'Take Me As I Am'. Best of all are the Raphael Saadiq tracks ; the ballad 'I Found My Everything' (shades of Aretha), and the dancer 'So Lady'. View all Mary J Blige Titles

JAMES DAY - REMEMBER WHEN EP
Ep two of them on a 7" single, with an old school soul sound. Audrey Wheeler 'Brick by Brick' is typical of her late 80's/early 90's tracks ,upper mid tempo groove With her powerful voice dominating. 'Shes Not The Girl' by Mikelyn Roderick a slightly slower and again its her soulful voice that shines through. The killer track though is Jeff Ramsey 'Don't Waste The Pretty', A Luther style modern soul dancer that will set thevfloors alight at weekenders (on 7" along with title track.

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2005 reviews - click here