This 1977 album from Roy Ayers guitarist James is one of the best rare groove jazz funk album ever. Featuring an all star line up inc Narada Michael Walden, Gene Torres and Roy Ayers sidemen Justo Almerio and Phillip Woo with the distinctive vocals of Clarice Taylor. ‘Sweet Power Your Embrace’ is an anthem that has all the hallmarks , driving rhythm, phat beats, eerie keyboards and those vocals ! The more urgent and percussive ‘Free’, ‘I’ve Got My Eye On You’ and ‘Rhythm Of Life’ and the mid tempo dancer ‘Slick City’ are also popular tracks. Also check the...
Apollo winner Big Brooklyn Red is an incredible talent, his voice resonates Soulfulness, his style is contemporary but steeped in tradition. ‘Taking it too Far’ is a great upper mid tempo dancer based on Lowrell’s ‘Mellow mellow’ but taken to another level with punchy horn riffs. The uplifting ‘Answer The Call’, the uptempo version of ‘Sexual Healing’, ‘So Inspired’, ‘Home To You’ ‘Sunrays’ (ft Lady Alma) and mid tempo ‘Give You Up’ are all strong tracks. Very Strong album. Buy CD here Buy signed CD here Listen Home To You Belive In Yourself Too Far So Inspired...
The eleventh volume of this ever popular series offers up another across the board mix of Crossover and Modern Soul gems over 20 tracks. The Turner Brothers’ ‘Lets Go Fishing’ and the New Creation’s rare ‘Fish Song’ may have similar themes but bring in the differing flavours of South Carolina, and Peru, the recent gem from Ernest Ernie & The Sincerities could be mistaken from a mid-tempo gem form ’68, while Terry Huff’s understated ‘Just Not Enough Love’ and The Fabulous Determination’s pacey ‘Has Love Been Here Before’ show the breadth of styles here. A well balanced, thoughtfully compiled set,...
Gregory Porter has steadily worked his way into global stardom with a string of stunning albums over the course of a decade and ‘All Rise’ is as strong and engaging as the likes of his much lauded early works ‘Water’, ‘Liquid Spirit’ and ‘be Good’. The emphatic, celebratory ‘Concorde’ soars with with an uplifting energy that is hard to deny, the bittersweet ‘Dad Gone Thing’ is an incisive observation of his relationship with his largely absent father that includes the heartbreaking line “I stood right in front of his stage, But still I was hard to see”, while the gospel...
1,500 Limited Pressing with Machine Numbered Sleeve. Soul Brother Records are delighted to reissue on vinyl for the first time one of the most in demand and best ‘Holy Grail’ Soul and Funk albums for RSD 2020. My Queen by self-contained band Gaston was recorded in North Carolina in 1978 for the independent Hotlanta label and has been in demand for the last 30 years. The album consists of seven excellent Soul and Funk tracks including 'Clap Song' sampled by Sporty Thievz in 1998 and the also sampled two stepper 'My Dream's. Original copies are rarely seen and command £500....
The Brit Funk Association are an amalgamation of members from iconic Brit Funk groups Light Of The World, Beggar & Co, Hi Tension, Incognito and Central Line. ‘Lifted’ follows 2018’s ‘Full Circle’ and again majors on the positive with a thirteen track offering of uplifting cuts. The bright jazz funker ‘Summer’ kicks off the albumin joyous fashion and continues with the mid tempo ‘Lifted Up’. The warm buzz of ‘Take Some Time To Love’ and the pacier ‘Sign Of The Times’ have that classic Brit Funk sound while the chugging party funk of ‘Raw Funk’ has a Brass Construction vibe....
Saxophonist/composer Nubya Garcia delivers her debut album in the form of the 9-track ‘Sources’, a set that pays homage to the many diverse influences that help build this exciting full-length offering. The brooding,dark mood of ‘Pace’ brings to mind elements of Christian Scott in places; the battle-sax riding over the frenetic, broken percussion and bass, while the galloping groove of ‘The Message Continues’ finds her in more modal territory. ‘Source’ kicks off with a dub feel and slips into freer improvisation for the second section while the mellower ‘Together Is A Beautiful Place To Be’ is a welcome respite amidst...
Second album from Arkansas born, Chicago made Sydney Joe Qualls (whose first album on Dakar was released under the name variation Sidney...) 'So Sexy' is a gem of an album that may have escaped the radar of many soul fans – the classic modern soul 'I Don't Do This' will be well familiar, but this this great set is worth investigating. The bubbling title track hints at a yearning for local disco play while the southern lilt of 'Let The Woman Know' is a gem. The beat ballad 'I'll Run To Your Side' is the perfect platform for Qualls' pleading...
Incognito legend Bluey’s side project Citrus Sun release their fourth album in the form of ‘Expansions and Visions’ and it’s their funked up version of Lonnie Liston Smith’s classic that kicks things off in emphatic style, with vocals from the strong voiced Valerie Etienne. Noel McKoy guests on the cover of ‘California Soul’: tackling such a classic is always going to be hard but they manage to bring something new to it, there are elements of Afro-Cuban influences in the summery ‘Amado O Vehlo Mundo’ while the jaunty ‘Hard Boiled’ has a Stevie feel, not least because of the use...
One-man soul music industry Carmichael Musiclover returns just months after his top-selling ‘Best Thing Yet’ album from earlier in the year and ‘Lifeline’ continues in that familiar vein, proving that he is still on top of his game. The upbeat, positive vibes of ‘My Money’ kicks off this fourteen track set and the uptempo grooves continue with the vintage feel of ‘House Party’. ‘Hey Sunshine’ is another highlight – a real old school slab of Chicago soul – while the stepper ‘When The Storms Come’ takes the tempo down a little. The fast paced title cut ‘Lifeline’ closes out the...
