NEW SOUL - JUNE 2008 More soundclips on our weekly radio show playlist - here

SUNBURST BAND- MOVING WITH THE SHAKERS CD £11.95
Fantastic mainly uptempo album combining 70's and early 80's influences with a contemporary sound, featuring the vocals of Leroy Burgess, Taka Boom, Pete Simpson and others. Highlights are the disco/funk of 'Our Lives Are Shaped', 'Sitting On Top Of The World', 'Days Gone By' and 'Put A Lyric In it' (which could have been recorded on prelude circa 79-80). 80's boogie style is represented by 'Survivin' and 'Fashion', the 4 Hero-esq 'Journey To The Sun' and 'Turn It Out' also score well. There's some good instrumentals 'Dusk' , 'Monterey' and 'Free Bass', and the 2 step title track. Best of all though is the Norman Whitfield influenced shifter 'Man Of War'. Probably the best retro-sounding album of recent times and one of the albums of the year.

INCOGNITO TALES FROM THE BEACH CD £12.95
Incognito make the 13th album and its one of their strongest, featuring mainly horn backed fresh sounding melodic uptempo and mid tempo soulful grooves that is their trademark. Maysa, Joy Rose, Imaani and Tony Momrelle provide the soulful vocals in front of the bands powerhouse backing. The uptempo 'Step Aside', 'Love Joy and Understanding', 'Happy People' contrast with the catchy mid tempo 'N.O.T.' and 'Silence In My Mind' and bass led 'I've Been Waiting'. The stepper 'When The Sun Comes Down' and beautiful slower 'When Words Are Just Words' with the Jazzier percussive 'Freedom To Love' and punchy semi-instrumentals 'Feel The Pressure' and 'Never Look Back'. Very Strong album.
also recommended 'Who Needs Love Cd £13.95, Positivity Cd £9.95, No Time like The Future Cd £14.95

TONI REDD- N THE KEY OF REDD CD £13.95
Excellent sophisticated soul album in a Phyllis Hyman/Anita Baker style with good songs, instrumentation and great vocals from the Atlanta soulstress. Mainly consisting of quality mid tempo tracks like the shuffler 'Anytime Of The Day' , 'Holding On To Your Love' , 'Cant Stop Thinking About You' , 'I'm Changing' and the sax backed 'The Love Is Gone', this album is for chilling out to. Also check her cover of Anita's classic 'I Apologise', the ballads 'Sailing' and 'We Should Care' and the upper mid tempo foot taper 'Always There For Me'. This is timeless soul music of the highest quality. Another essential album.

MINT CONDITION E-LIFE CD £13.95
Mint Condition were one of the first and best R&B/Soul bands in the 90's and they return with another strong album with a mixture of mainly mid tempo and slow R&B and soul tracks, featuring their vocal harmonies. The more soul oriented tracks are 'Gratitude' an uptempo track that stands out, the harmonies on the mid tempo 'Something' and beat ballad 'Just Can't Believe' are also strong. The chugging 'Back And Forth' , 'Wish I Could Love You' and 'Baby Boy Baby Girl' will appeal to their R&B fans. Mint Condition have always scored on R&B ballads and 'Gold Digger', 'Nothing Left To Say', 'Right Here' , 'Moan' and 'Why Do We try' wont disappoint.

WAYNA HIGHER GROUND CD £11.95
Wayna's second album builds on her debut 'Moments of claity' . She has matured and produced a better all round album primarily in an Erykah Badu style, whilst retaining her individuality. 'Midnight Rendezvous' is a unique and catchy mid tempo foot taper and this and the hypnotic hip-hop soul 'My Love' and the slower more melodic 'Mr Duracell' are the standout tracks. The jerky mid tempo groover 'New Scenery' piano led jazzier, the catchy acoustic headnodder 'Daydream' and more melodic head nodder 'Not Gonna Go' are also highlights on this really good and varied album.
also available 'Moments Of Clarity CD £9.95

NHOJJ SOUL COMFORT CD £9.95
Strong independent soul album with good vocal harmonies. The highlights are the upper mid tempo horn backed semi funky 'Peace And Blessings', 'Music' and 'Doin M Thing' which are really excellent. Also check the uptempo dancer 'The Light', the mid tempo stepper 'Dream', the acoustic 'Spring Rain' and the dramatic ballad 'Love' and this really nice album.

MARZ- JUKEBOX CD £9.95
Interesting album that mixes soul and jazz funk featuring Marz understated vocals with good female backing vocals and full instrumentation. The outstanding 'Marz Joint' is a really strong melodic jazz funk instrumental with a great groove, keys , sax and wicked b-line. Other highlights are the uptempo 'Jukebox' and 'Send Up My Smile' , mid tempo stepper 'Muzik', slinky mid tempo beater 'Hip-Side' and the unusual 'Take My Hand ft Lauren Silva on vocals and some nice acoustic guitar.

FUTURE SOUL CD £13.95
17 tracks that span the many styles of groove oriented new soul music being made around the world. Highlights are the funky soul 'Destiny' feat Dutch group Liquid Spirits ft Amp Fiddler and V(feat Jill Scott)' atmospheric and haunting 'Born Again' . The typically Eric Roberson 'For Da Love Of Da Game ft Raheem Devaughn, the dancer Black Gold Massive 'Sometimes It Snows In April (Mr Gone Mix) Trizonna McClendon funky soul 'Trizonna' , Ski Okenful uptempo semi broken beat 'Let Me Be', and Dessy Di Lauro grove ridden dancer are also really good. Nice varied comp.

LIZZ FIELDS PLEASUREVILLE CD £11.95
Lizz Fields burst onto the scene with her creative and very different debut in 2003, she follows it up with a more varied album whilst retaining the feel of 'By Day By Night'. The mid tempo jazz tinged and uplifting 'Brooklyn Flowers' the funky foot taper 'Daddy Caddy' , motown esq uptempo 'Sugah' and brassy up tempo dancer 'Running On Empty' are all highlights. The chugging foot taper 'Pleasureville', more uptempo 'Delectable' and typically Lizz slower grooves ''Its Ok To Love Me', 'Sliding Doors', 'What Were We Left With, 'Oasis' and 'I'm Waiting' are also good on this varied album
also available 'By Day By Night' CD £9.95

CONYA DOSS STILL CD £12.95
A welcome return to form for Conya easily her best since her fabulous debut. Mainly produced by Rodney Jones and consisting of multi layered vocals mid tempo groovers like 'Let Me Know', 'Its Over' , 'Come Over', 'Message' and 'Ride' along with the floaters 'What Id Do' and 'Cant Stop'. Myron produces the bass led typically Conya groover 'Common Ground' and the slightly more uptempo shuffler 'Right On Time'. Angela Johnson puts her trademark style on the upper mid tempo 'Emotions' and thers a killer beat ballad 'I Miss You'. Really Good album to get into.
Also available 'Just Because' and 'Love Rain Down ' CD £13.95 each

SY SMITH CONFLICT CD £11.95
Another of our favourite singers , the unique Sy Smith returns with a strong album, possibly her most consistant to date, which is lyrically strong throughout. The most soulful tracks are 'Conflict' and ''B Side Love Affair' are nice mid tempo grooves, 'Fly Away With Me' is more upbeat and 'The Things You Do' a mid tempo foot taper. The uptempo and more jazzy 'The Art Of You' and the off beat groove ridden mid tempo 'Aint Nobody's Business' show another side of Sy's music and the live cover of Minnie's 'Baby….' is intriguing. Good album , accessable music with an edge.
Also available 'Psyko-soul plus £11.95, Syperspace Social Cd £11.95
Live DVD (region 1) £12.95

DREEMTIME DREAMY CD £11.95
Really good uplifting jazzy-soul album from NY based UK band featuring strong female vocalists , Ashanti J'Aria, Jesse Colasante, Maya Azucena and Amanda Leah Brown. The uptempo 'Rising', 'So Long' , 'Drive Away' and 'Sisco' will get the feet moving. The atmospheric mid tempo 'Dreamy' and slinky 'Sad Sad Sun' are delightful and the slower 'Don't Change' and 'Baby So Fine' are also highlights and check 'Brick In Paradise' that goes through changes. Really nice album.

GINA GREEN MY JOURNEY CD £11.95
Gina makes a more soul based album (her previous ones have been more gospel). She has a distinctive vulnerable voice which has been compared to that of Stephanie Mills. The string laden 'My Journey' and 'I Just Wanta Dance With You' are mid tempo dancers, 'Dreamin' and 'On my Way' are mid tempo foot taper, and 'Listen To My Heart' and 'I'll Never Forget You' are good steppers. also check the beat ballads 'Youre Like The Sun' and 'Im In love' . Strong album throughout.

JONAS SWEET DREAMS GUARANTEED CD £11.
Jonas hails from Denmark and has a definite D'Angelo feel to his music with a hint of Frank McComb and Rahsaan for good measure. The up beat 'Need To Shine' has a good groove, 'Ebony and Ivory' is almost a Modern soul dancer. 'My Ride', 'Not Compatible' and 'More Than Friends' are good mid tempo grooves. Roy Hargrove guests on horn on the downtempo foot taper 'Love Letters' and the mid tempo groove 'Things Gotta Change'. Really nice album with Good songs , well sung with nice instrumentation

EMBERS- THE SHOW MUST GO ON CD £12.95
Great new album by the Veteran male harmony group who can be compared to Manhattans, Dells etc. There's a number of good up tempo dancers 'Get Your Loving While I Can' , 'Last Time I'm Saying Goodbye', 'You're The Reason' and the string laden 'You Mean The World To Me' and a couple of mid tempo dancers 'This heart' and 'Making Love To You'. The ballads are also good 'Not So Long Ago', 'I've Done Things With You', 'Never Give Up' and the title track on this consistent old school soul album.

TRINA BROUSSARD  INSIDE MY LOVE CD £12.95
Trina's much heralded unreleased set from 1998 finally sees the light of day, and its well worth the wait. It is quite simply one of the best of its style good melodic songs, well produced with great vocals and quality instrumentation.  The shuffling 'Sailing' is a classic, the stepper 'Not Around' the fantastic big ballad 'All Night Long' and mid tempo 'Why Do I Feel So Bad'  are outstanding. The ballads 'All I Need Is You' and 'Say You Really Love' , the cover of Minnie's 'Inside My Love' and the excellent jazzy soul ballad bonus track 'Its Not Really Christmas' are also really good on this great album, get now you can.

ERYKAH BADU- NEW AMERYKAH CD £12.95 DBL LP £13.95
A slight change of direction for Erykah to a more edgy, political lyric style that is very 70's funky soul inspired (think Undisputed Truth) and takes a few spins to get into. 'Amerykahn Promise' is a 70's style funky dancer with horns cover of Ramp's track. 'Me' a nice horn backed midtempo shuffler produced by SA-RA (as is the funky soul 'Cell'). 'Real Thang' as another funky soul track sampling Clarence Reid 'Nobody But You Babe', the riff laden single 'Honey'  continues the same path. the highlights are more more typically Erykah hip hop soul 'Solder' and the beautiful chilling tribute to J Dilla 'Telephone' co written with James Poysner. This album takes time to appreciate but is well worth it when you get there.

TANIQ- LIFE AND TIMES OF LOVE CD £12.95
Essential, quality new soul album from husband/wife backed by full band inc horns (17 musicians), which will appeal to those who like Kindred or 2GA1. The album is strong throughout but highlights are the mid tempo 'Everything About You', 'Sunrize', 'Summer In Zimbawbe', the catchy dancers 'Hands In my pockets' and 'Look At You Now'and the upper mid tempo 'Cupid Shot Me'. Also check the ballads 'Breakin The Rules', 'Time Will Wait', the jazzier 'Deja My Dear' and the beautiful title track
This is quality soul with good songs and singers and great instrumentation.

ASHANTI MUNIR  BALANCE CD £11.95 
Former amateur night at the Apollo winner and background vocalist on Leon Beal's album of last year, Ashanti has a really nice voice and makes a well rounded album. The highlights are 'Lovers And Friends' and 'Black Pearl' good mid tempo groovers,  'I'm Staying Home Tonight' and 'Follow Your Heart' the modern soul dancers. Also worth checking are the more up tempo 'Balance' and the mid tempo 'I'll Be There'. Quality soul album featuring real instruments.

ALGEBRA  PURPOSE CD £12.95
Long awaited debut album from Algebra Blessett was executively produced by Kedar Massenburg. 'At This Time' is a beautiful melodic Beat ballad which along with the other ballads 'What Happened' and 'Come Back' are the album highlights. 'Simple Complication' is an organic dancer and the mid tempo 'No Idea' are also good and there's many good R&B/Soul tracks like 'Run And Hide', 'Happy After', 'Tug Of War' and 'U Do It For me'.

IZZY JAMES CALL TO CONSCIENCE CD £12.95

Really good horn backed lyrically strong old school soul album from the very soulfully voiced Izzy who reminds me in places of Jeff Robinson. This album is strong all the way through but highlights are the mid tempo funky soul 'Its All Right' , 'Fallin Sky' and 'Your Love' the foot taper 'Change The World' the mid tempo steppers 'Caught Up' , 'Something', 'Best We Can Do' and 'Stand Up'.  Strong album

BLAK ICE  NEXT TO YOU CD £12.95
New male vocal harmony group make a really nice contemporary soul album with an old school feel. The beat ballads 'Please Don't Go' and '2 Women', the steppers 'Friday Nite'and 'Stalker'  and the mid tempo 'Spring', 'Next To You', 'Make Love More' and 'Im Tired' , contrast with more uptempo 'Chicken Head' and southern 'Full Time Women' to make a well rounded album, which will appeal to those who like Onyx 1 's album of last year.

FRANK McCOMB  LIVE IN ATLANTA VOL 1 CD/DVD £21.95
The genius of Frank McComb is probably at its best in a live setting singing and playing his keyboards, backed here by a full band with horns and backing vocals. On the uptempo 'Wasting Your Time', his playing is reminiscent of 70's  Patrice or Herbie, whilst his phrasing on 'Future Love' emphasises the regular Donny Hathaway comparisons. The up tempo 'Do You Remember Love', mid tempo 'Gotta Find A Way', 'Love Natural' and slower 'Left Alone' are all great on this absolutely brilliant set.

JULIA NIXON – KEEP ON TRACK CD £9.95
Julia of ‘Breaking Down’ (Julia & Co) fame from the mid 80’s, makes what I believe is her first album. She possesses a really good voice which along with the real instrumentation gives this album a quality feel. There’s a good cover of Barry Whites’ Walking In The Rain’ , an 80’s style mid tempo dancer ‘Old Fashioned Love’ the bright horn backed ‘Then’ , mid tempo ‘Southern Boy’ (with nice flute) and jazzier ‘Flow’ and ‘Bring Back the Springtime’. The highlights though are the ballads especially the shuffling midtempo ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ , ‘Girlfriends’ and ‘Here Today Gone Tomorrow’. Nice album.

WENDELL B- TIME TO RELAX- LOVE LIFE AND RELATIONSHIPS CD £14.95
Deep voiced 'big man' Wendell makes an album of mainly mid tempo tracks and slow jams, that will appeal to both soul and R&B fans. the outstanding track is the awesome ballad 'Somebody Love Me True' that has shades of Teddy and Luther. also check the ballads 'Get Up Early', 'Its On', 'She Didn't Have To Hurt You' and 'Keep it real' and the duet with Sheneatha Frison 'Back To That'. Best of the slow jams are 'Bounce' (sampling Strawberry letter 23), 'This Ain't Living', 'I'm Leaving' and 'Its Over'.

NATALIE GARDINER  CALIFORNIA CD £13.95
Her eagerly anticipated set is a mellow affair that spotlights the delicate beauty of Natalie's voice.  Standout is the gorgeous and sensual 'Summer Rain'.  The music is understated throughout  semi-acoustic  as tracks like 'Fading Hours', 'Driftin' and 'Slowly Softly' illustrate.  'California' is a 'mood' album, and Natalie's husky yet smooth voice (not unlike Conya Doss) glides through the songs gracefully.

RAD  LIVE IN JAPAN CD £12.95
Those fortunate enough to have experienced a live Rad gig will enjoy this CD as it captures the energy, vibe and magic of the lady's performance.   Cuts like the funky 'East Babe' and 'Make Every Second Count' hit the bullseye.  The jazzy instrumental 'Layin Low' allow her talented band to stretch out.  'Trippin' is another vibrant performance as is the cover of JB's 'I Got You'.  Rad is a contender for the funkiest lady on the planet.

ANGELA JOHNSON A WOMANS TOUCH VOL 1 CD £12.95
Angela teams up with a multitude of stars for her new ubeat album , which she produces brilliantly singing on only a few tracks like the outstanding 'Should've Been There There' and the ballad 'Cryin Over U'. The other highlights are the dancer 'Dream Flight' ft Rahsaan Patterson , 'Let Me Know' ft Eric Roberson (based on the Jackson 'Shake Your body') the excellent upper mid tempo funky groover 'Play' ft Frank McComb, 'Here I Stand' ft Claude McKnight of Take 6 , 'Not The One' ft Tricia Angus and 'Get Away ft Gordon Chambers. Also check the typically dexterious 'How Sweet Life Is' ft Julie Dexter and the slinky mid tempo 'Wait In A Maybe' ft Marlon Saunders and Lenora Jaye. Fantastic album with wide appeal.
also recommended 'Got to Let It Go' and 'They Don't Know' CD £13.95 each

LEONARD JULIEN REFLECTIONS OF SOUL CD £12.95
Now here's a quality laid back soul album from the very soulful voiced Leonard. The album never gets above mid tempo but the songs the music with real instruments and his delivery are so good that it keeps you captivated throughout. Highlights are the mid tempo 'Wanna Get Close To You' , the Philly style ballads 'I Cant Believe' and 'Just Because' and the ballads 'And I Love You', 'The Love I Let Slip Away' , 'Since The Day I met You' and 'What She Don't Know' are all quality and there's a nice cover of Jerry Butler's 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. Sit back relax and enjoy., the ideal album for Valentines Day.

REEL PEOPLE SEVEN WAYS TO WONDER CD £11.95 (FROM 25TH FEB)
Great uplifting soul album featuring some of the UK's top vocalists amongst others.
'Alibi' is a brilliant shuffling upper mid tempo song with nice percussion ft Darien (remember him from this is soul 2006 ?), he also sings 'Upside' another dancer.. 'Amazing' is an uptempo dancer ft Tony Momrelle and Imaani, Tony also leads on 'Love Where You Are And It Will Be'. The mid tempo floaters 'Rise And Fly' ft Vanessa Freeman and 'Perfect Sky' ft Joy Rose are really nice, and the shuffler 'High' ft Dyanna Fearon and uptempo 'Anything You want' ft Tasita D'Nour are also highlights on this excellent album which is comparable to the soul end of Incognito and is highly recommended.
Also recommended 'Second Guess' Double CD £13.95

 TRINA BROUSSARD – INSIDE MY LOVE CD £12.95 (FROM LATE FEB/EARLY MARCH)
Trina’s much heralded unreleased set from 1998 finally sees the light of day, one of the best of its style good melodic songs, well produced with great vocals and quality instrumentation.  ‘Sailing’ is a classic, the stepper ‘Not Around’ the fantastic big ballad ‘All Night Long’ and mid tempo ‘Why Do I Feel So Bad’ are outstanding. full review next month PRE-ORDER NOW

LORI JENAIRE FRUITION CD £13.95
The very soulful and beautiful Lori returns with another really good quality soul album following up her classic 'Within Reach' for a couple of years ago. Lori's voice and style is similar to Phyllis Hyman in places. Highlights are the mid tempo foot tapers 'Stay Strong' and 'Don't Cha Wanna Know' , the 2 step ballads 'Danger Zone' and ''Cant You Tell' and the mid tempo 'Better Now' , 'Unexpected Storm' and fantastic 'Matter Of Time'. The ballads 'Pieices' and 'Lately I' are also good on this consistently good album.
Also highly recommended 'Within Reach' CD £13.95

LAMONE ECLECTICALLY SPEAKING CD £13.95
Lamone's album will appeal to those you like Eric Benet, Music Soulchild and in places Maxwell. Highlights are the mid tempo 'I'll Go There', 'Chiltz' (ft Najee) , 'Foolish Heart' and 'Too Much Heaven' the 80's style modern dancers 'Hanging Out' and 'You Are' (ft Najee). Also check the other dancers 'Smile', 'Sending A Rose' and 'Intimately' on this consistently good album.

TIA DAE IT'S A NU DAE CD £9.95
The organic mid tempo dancer 'I Remember' on which Tia sounds like Erykah Badu is the stand out , although the modern soul dancer 'Dance Wit Me' and the mid tempo 'Natural High' , 'Quiz Called Life' and 'Jonezin' are also good tracks on this mni album.

CARLTON J SMITH DIAGRAM OF A RELATIONSHIP CD £9.95
Carlton makes a concept album based around a relationship, which in places has a classic 70's soul feel, and more contemporary R&B in others.. 'I'd Better' is a good modern soul dancer in a Womack style, 'Love' is a stomper reminiscent of Al Green. and 'Theres A Woman In my life' a southern soul mid tempo with a heavy backbeat. The killer track is the atmospheric mid tempo ballad duet with Tracy Braithwaite 'Running From Love'.
Also available 'I'd Better'/'Love' 7 inch single £7

WILLIE CLAYTON MY TYME CD £15.95
Soulful voiced Willie makes another solid album of southern soul style material. Highlights are the mid tempo steppers 'Happy Time' and 'Three People' , the mid tempo foot tapers 'Gotta love' and 'Young Man Blues' and the ballads 'A Woman Knows', 'Angel' , 'Give You My World' and 'Spend One Night'.
Also available ‘Gifted’ CD £15.95

MO J BEYOND CATEGORY CD £11.95
Well produced, vibrant quality new soul album with plenty of live instruments and horns., that has a definite 70's feel. The songs are well written and Mo's vocals are great throughout. 'Are You Ready' is a killer uptempo funky soul workout with punchy horns and walking bass lines. 'Can You Tell Me Why' is an excellent slightly jazzy track that builds with a catchy chorus, 'Hoping For Rain' a melodic floater , 'Passion Flower' 'Here In My Dreams' are mellow ballads and 'We Will Find A Way' is catchy and melodic mid tempo. Also great are the shuffling 'Beauty Of Your Soul' and 'You are My life' , the Rufus Infl 'So Funky' and 'The Light That Lives In Me' which has a slight latin feel and a nice jazzy guitar solo.
Another Excellent album to start 2008 with.

DOMU FEATURING PETE SIMPSON  LOOK A LITTLE FURTHER CD £11.95
This mainly up tempo album is refreshingly different from most released in the past year with  Pete's soulful voice rides above some interesting rhythms. 'Don't Hide' , 'Aint No Fool' , 'look A little Further', 'Play This Song', 'It Wont Mean A thing' and 'I'm Left Dreaming' are uptempo numbers with a slight 80's feel to them., due to the heavy bass lines. The highlight though is the more percussive and free flowing uplifting 'Wont Give Up' that is both great to listen to and a floor filler. Really nice album.

JAHIEM  MAKINGS OF A MAN CD £13.95
Jahiem returns with possibly his best album to date, at the most soulful end of R&B. 'Voice Of R&B' is a head nodding dancer, 'the mid tempo 'Life Of A Thug' (sampling Hope that we will be together soon) the ballads 'Lonely (If You think you're lonely now) 'She Aint You' , 'Never', 'What You Think Of That' and 'Have You Ever' and 'I've Changed' ft Keyshia Cole are the highlights on this consistant set. Jahiem's soulful voice shines throughout.
Also available 'Ghetto Love', 'Still Ghetto' , Ghetto Classics' CD £14.95 each

SATYA PROJECT- SHINE A LIGHT CD £11.95
Quality soul-jazz album (think Incognito) that features a host of guest singers (inc Kelli Sae, Smantha Nelson-Gums) and musicians (inc Mark Whitfield on guitar) backed by a horn section and an orchestra.  Highlights are the classy mid tempo 'Stranger Here' , the slower 'Dearest Sun', and the up tempo 'Bora's Dance' and 'Truth And Love'. If you liked the All Stars Collective or Tony Momrelle albums from last year then this could be another one for you.

RAHEEM DEVAUGHN  LOVE BEHIND THE MELODY CD £12.95
Raheem's second album is more mature than this debut, sitting at the soulful end of R&B. Incl the mid tempo head nodder 'Woman', the nice stepper 'Love Drug' and mid tempo 'Try Again'. But its on the ballads that Raheem excels and the soulful ballads 'Mo Better', 'Desire' and 'Four Letter word' and the mid tempo ballad with Floetry 'Marathon' are amongst the strongest on this album, but also check the R&B slow jams 'Customer' and 'Shes Not You'.

CONFECTION  CONFECTION CD £13.95
This album is a real throwback the early to mid 80's sound and comes from Australia.
'I Choose You', ''Flirt' and 'Feel It Comin' are 80's style boogie dancers complete with slap bass. 'You Got The Love' has a Chic/Change sound and is the standout track, but the 80's 2 stepper 'Lovers Or Best Friends', 'Fantasisim' which sound similar ot 'Juicy Fruit'  and the ballad 'Stuck' are also good. ‘Put Me On your Playlist' and 'I've Gotta Thing' are more synth style 80's dancers.

AMERICAN GANGSTER SOUNDTRACK  CD £13.95
Highlights are the two Anthony Hamilton tracks the mid tempo ballad 'Do You Feel me' and the killer funky JB infl 'Stone Cold' a classic in the making.  Also check the 70's style funk instrumentals 'Club Jam' and 'Nicky Barnes' and Railroad (inst of Equals funky like a train ?). Also incl the classics 'Across 110th st (Womack), I'll Take You There' (staples) and Hold On I'm Coming (Sam And Dave)
The album is worth the price for the Hamilton tracks alone.

VARIOUS ARTISTS  STEREO SUSHI DOUBLE CD £16.95
Hed Kandi is back with a top Soulful House offering, 24 (un-mixed) tracks. If you're looking for an up-tempo soulful dance comp this one's for you. Feat: Barbara Tucker, Blaze, Michelle Weeks, Dennis Ferrer, Soul Central, Mood II Swing, Quentin Harris, Terry Hunter, DJ Spen, Jon Cutler and more. Stand outs include Terry Hunter ft Terisa Griffin 'Wonderful', Fanatix & Sterling Ensemble ft Don E 'Good Thing', DJ Spen ft Ann Nesby 'It's So Easy, Monkey Brothers ft Shaun Escoffery 'Losin' My Head and The Jinks 'Like Music'. Get Involved.

CYNTHIA LAYNE- BEAUTIFUL SOUL CD £12.95
Really good New soul album with a slight jazz tinge by a lady with a great voice. 'Be You' is a brilliant slinky mid tempo groover with horns, 'Letting You Go' is a similar pace and also very good. 'Kings And Queens' and 'Mystery' are great upper mid tempo dancers, and the more uptempo 'Will U Be There' and 'Two And One' will also work on the dancefloor. The slower 'Beautiful Soul' is jazzier with a nice sax solo, as is the melodic mid tempo 'Funny', whilst 'Free Yourself' is more funky ala Rufus. This one will set the standard for anyone to beat in 2008.

SOUL ID SEX LOVE AND PHILOSPHY CD £12.95
An Interestingly different album with deep grooves and unusual vocal harmonies. Highlights are 'Tender' and 'My Philosophy' which are head nodding dancers ala Rahsaan Patterson style. 'True', 'Love Of My Life' and 'Oh Oh Oh' are R&B/Soul mid tempo foot tappers whilst the mid tempo 'Even Though' , 'Leaving You' and 'Beauty And Sin' are more soulful. This album grows on you. Well worth checking out.

D'ANGELO YODA MONARCH OF NEO-SOUL CD £12.95
This collection of rare, unreleased and live performances will keep his fans happy , in the absence of the long overdue new album. The mid tempo 'Really Love', head nodding dancer 'I Found My Smile Again' and mid tempo foot taper 'Your Love Is So Cold' have that distinctive D'Angelo sound. The excellent cover of Ohio Players 'Heaven Must Be like This' is a real highlight. Theres also good live covers of classics like 'Everybody LovesThe Sunshine' , 'Cant Hide Love' and 'Superman Lover' and live versions of his own 'Devils Pie' , 'Sexy Little Things U Do' and 'Send It On In'.

DEJAYE AND THE GOOD NEWS IS CD £12.95
More uptempo than most recent albums Dejaye puts the funk back into new soul. 'Play This' and 'Better Than Not' are dancers with a Rick James feel and beat to them. 'Skate Through Life'and 'If U Wanna Dance' are a bright catchy dancers, and 'U Should Let Me'; and the catchy 'Never Gonna Give U Up' are upper mid tempo dancers. 'Gotta B N 2 U' is a nice foot taper ,the mid tempo 'Understand Y' and ballad 'Cant Live Without You' are also good. Nice uplifting album.

RAUL MIDON WORLD WITHIN A WORLD CD £13.95
Singer/Songwriter/Acoustic Guitarist Raul raised eyebrows with his debut album a couple of years ago. He builds on that on this really nice acoustic album. 'Pick Somebody Up' is an uplifting breezy uptempo opener. 'All The Answers' has a happy sing-a-long chorus and 'Peace On Earth' has great lyrics that give food for thought. 'Save My life' a down to mid tempo track features Meshell Ndegeocello on Bass, and the down tempo 'All Because Of You' also works. well worth checking out.

ASIDA SOUL ASIDA SOUL CD £11.95
Asida Soul are a duo comprising of former Impromp2 keyboardist/vocalist Tia and fellow Texan Sannayu,
who make a nice raw jazzy neo-soul album with an edge. 'You without Me', 'Steppin Out' 'That'll Do' and 'When I Rise' are organic mid tempo grooves. 'Do Something' is an organic head nodder with positive lyrics, which with the slower 'Thoughts' and jazzier 'Mr New York City' which shows off their vocal harmonies are the highlights. Also check the aptly titled

IMPROMP2 IT IS WHAT IT IS CD £12.95
Forth album from the duo whose distinctive sophisticated jazz tinged soul sound has brought them many fans. 'Dance With U', 'You're A Queen' and 'I Wanna Know' are dancers that will appeal to the modern soul crowd. 'Good Thang' ia bright and breezy mid tempo dancer, their cover of Marvin's 'Luv 2 Ball' is more uptempo than the original and the jazzier mid tempo 'Mo Jazz' also works. 'It Is What It Is' is a nice mid tempo with a god hooks and the ballads 'It Was Love' and 'Keep Doin' are also good on this consistently good album.
Also recommended 'Definition Of Love' CD £13.95

WILL DOWNING AFTER TONIGHT CD £14.95
Incredibly Will recorded this album from his wheelchair recovering from his terrible muscular illness. His Vice still sounds great and strong, his rich deep tones shining throughout this consistently good album, which he co-produced with Rex Rideout. 'Fantasy' and 'Lovers Melody ' (ft Roy Ayers) are nice mid tempo semi funky groovers, 'No One Can Love You More' (ft Gerald Albright) is a good version of Skip Scarborough's ballad, and 'Satisfy You' and 'After Tonight' are nice mid tempo ballads. The two ballads ft Kirk Whalum 'All I Need Is You' and 'You Just Cant Smile It Away' are also good. Great to hear that voice again. Nice album.
Also recommended ‘Collection-Love Supreme’ CD £6.95, Will Downing CD £9.95

MELANIE RUTHERFORD RELATIONSHIP IN MY OWN WORDS CD £9.95
Lyrically strong, Great Organic Soul album from the unknown but prolific Michigan artist, whose voice reminds me of Erykah in places. Many highlights but check the Organic dancers 'He Said She Said' , and 'Had No Idea', the funkier 'Thick Girl Anthem' and the mid tempo 'Life', 'Love Child' , 'I Love The Way' and 'Make Up To Break Up' and the slower 'Prison Love Letter'., but this a good album throughout.

FATHERS CHILDREN SKYS THE LIMIT CD £11.95
Welcome return to the band that gave us the rare groove classic 'Hollywood Dreaming'. Includes the killer mid tempo stepper 'Something I Wanna Say To You' , the 70's style funky dancers 'This Is What We Do To Have Fun' and 'Move On' plus some nice ballads 'When I Think Of you' , 'Keep My Heart' , 'Love Didn't Last' , 'We Got Love' and 'Skys The Limit'. The real highlight is their vocal harmonies which are great throughout.

TRACEY WHITNEY LOVE..A FABLE IN 9 ACTS CD £13.95
Powerful voiced Tracey was formerly one of Ray Charles Raelette's. She makes a good solid soul album which includes three outstanding tracks ; the upper mid tempo foot tapper 'Welcome To My Life' ,the dancer 'I Believe' and the 2 step ballad 'A Woman In love'. Also of note are the mid tempo 'Amazing' , the ballads 'How Casn You Stop Loving Someone' and 'Ordinary Fool' and the cover of 'Im Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby'. Nice album.

MARVIN WINANS ALONE BUT NOT ALONE CD £14.95
Produced by Marvin and Tommy Sims this is more of a soul album than gospel. Highlights are the modern soul dancer title track, the bright and breezy upper mid tempo 'Come In Out Of The Rain' and Tommy Sims mid tempo dancer 'Peace And Love'. Also check the big ballad 'Just Don't Wanna Know' , the mid tempo 'I Still Believe' and the Stevie infl 'My Story'. Well Produced Gospel/Soul album.

DONALD SHAW MADE ON MOTOWN CD £11.95
Donald has one of those deep soft soul voices and makes an album mainly in a Luther Style. Donald excels on the ballads 'If I Knew Then' , 'Smile Again' , 'I Just Want To Love You' , 'How Can It Be' , 'You Got That Kinda Love' and 'Let Me Be The One' and the mid tempo 'My Forever Love'. There's also some nice uptempo tracks 'Just In The nick Of Time', 'Don't You Want to Dance With Me' and 'Ain't No Turning Back'.

ANGIE STONE – ART OF LOVE AND WAR CD £13.95
Excellent return to soul from one of our favourite female vocalists. This album is consistently good throughout but highlights are the steppers ‘Baby’ ft Betty Wright and ‘Pop Pop’ and the feel good dancer ‘My People’ ft James Ingram which should be massive. The mid tempo dancers ‘Take Everything In’, ‘Here We Go Again’ and ‘Play With It’ and the hypnotic mid tempo ‘Make It last’ and ‘These Are The Reasons’ and the duet beat ballad ‘Half A Chance’ are all excellent on this great album.

JILL SCOTT THE REAL THING CD £13.95 DELUXE CD/DVD £18.95
Jill makes her third studio album and possibly her best to date. 'Hate On Me' is a killer storming brassy funky dancer this track will be a monster ! 'Breathe' is a nice mid tempo dancer, and 'When Are You Around' a good mid tempo plodder. 'My Love' is a lovely floater and 'Come See Me' a melodic down tempo brass backed beat ballad, whilst 'All I' is a typical Jill beat ballad. This album oozes class and will also be a strong contender for album of the year.
(deluxe)

CHAKA KHAN FUNK THIS CD £13.95
Chaka makes her best and funkiest album for over 2 decades, and her powerful voice shines throughout. The mid tempo dancer 'Back In The Day' has that Rufus sound to it, and that is also evident in the covers of two Rufus classics 'Packed My Bag's/You Got The love' feat Tony Maiden. The funky mid tempo dancers 'Superlife' , 'Sign Of The Times' and 'Hail To The Wrong' keep up the pace, whilst the melodic mid tempo floater 'One For All Time' is also classy. The beat ballads 'Angel' and 'Ladies Man' the mid tempo 'Castles Made Of Sand' and the Raunchy version of 'Foolish Fool' are also good. Welcome Back !

PHILLIP MANUEL - PM CD £11.95
Nice old school album which includes the killer mid tempo 80's style dancer 'Had To Have You' (of the kind that Robbie Vincent would have championed back in the day). Also highlights on this consistent album are the catchy hypnotic mid tempo dancer 'If You Let Me I Will' and the mid tempo ballad 'Lite A Candle'. Also check the floater 'Never Again' and shuffling 'You Showed Me What Love Is' and the ballads 'You Take My Breathe Away', 'I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye' and 'Sleep On It'.
Nothing revolutionary here, just a solid good so