Raquel Rodriguez has established herself as one of the leading contemporary female Soul singers. The Los Angeles Latino Soul singer recorded ‘Sweet Side’ during lockdown but the CD has only just surfaced following her European tour. It features 14 dynamic tracks which have an early 80s feel, but are still totally contemporary. It heavily features partner Sam Brawner and Keyboard and bassist Nigel Hall and a host of good musicians. ‘Sweet Side’ is a nice upper mid tempo groover, ‘Nobody Else’ is slightly slower but has a heavier groove. ‘I Know I Know’ is written and produced by Amber Navran and has that Moonchild sound. ‘Daydream’ is a highlight with its walking P-Bass line from Nick Campbell with Rhodes and Moog from Nigel Hall. ‘Leave Me Behind’ is more uptempo, ‘Undone’ is co written and produced by Matt Johnson, also featuring him on keyboards and shows a Jamiroquai influence. ‘You’, ‘Read The Room’ and ‘Don’t You Know’ are really nice mid tempo songs that give a nice contrast to this strong album. There are shades of Teena Marie throughout, maybe we should refer to Raquel as ‘Lady R’.
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