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Thursday 19 March 2020

Will Downing Feat. Avery Sunshine [2019] - Deja Vu [Sophisticated Soul]


Will Downing & Avery Sunsine with a 2019 cover version of Dionne Warwick's Deja Vu originally released on Arista in 1979.

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.6



Dionne Warwick's [1979] - Deja Vu [Arista AS 0459]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.2

The original two-stepper from 1979 written by Isaac Hayes & Adrienne Anderson and produced by none other than Barry Manilow!

Note the sound clip is a longer version 5:06 only available on certain reissued versions of 'Dionne' album (originally released in 1979) post 2011 e.g. this one.




Tiffany T'Zelle [2019] - Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me [R'tistikatz]


Tiffany T'Zelle Wilson is a New York  based singer, songwriter and actress.

A stepper's version of  Gladys Knight & The Pips classic 'Best Thing That Ever Happend To Me' 1974 on Buddah.

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.6



Tiffany T'Zelle [2018] - That Woman [R'tistikatz]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.85

An earlier release from Nov. 2018 which has an old school 80s vibe about it (It's got a Mtume - Juicy Fruit / Sugarhill Gang vibe about it) .



Darien Dean Feat. Tiffany T'Zelle [2018] - Last Song  [My Mouth]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 7.75

From May 2018 another stepper.



Tiffany T'Zelle [2015] - Keep Talkin'  [R'tistikatz]


Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.5


The single Keep Talkin' taken from the album 'Advance Copy'.




Tiffany T'Zelle [2012] - Never  [Phoenix]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 7.8

From 2012 - I am guessing that this was her first single?





Robin Thicke [2019] - When You Love Somebody [Thicke]


Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.4

A pleasant neo soul ballad/stepper released Dec 2019 from blue-eyed souler Robin Thicke.





Kandace Springs [2020] - Pearls [Blue Note]


Haunting soulful jazz from the talented pianist Kandace Springs.  The new single taken from her third album 'The Woman Who Raised Me' to be released on 27th Mar 2020.

'Pearl' features Avishia Cohen, which as I listen reminds me of a more soulful Sade .... which should come as no surprise as it's a Sade track from her 1992 album Love Deluxe.

Read more at Urban Music Scene

Soul Strutters' Rating: 9.0


Sade [1994] - Pearls [Epic]

Here's a live version of 'Pearls' originally released on Sade's 1992 album Love Deluxe and was also released as single in 1994 but didn't chart in UK.
Another interesting fact, which may surprise you as much as it did me, is that Sade only had one Top 10 hit in the UK, her first release 'Your Love Is King' #6 in 1984, and only 3 other Top 20 hits, and a total of 8 Top 40 hits which include the previous  4.

NB Pearls in the lyric represent grains of rice for those starving in Somalia!

Soul Strutters' Rating: 8.6



Sade [1992] - Kiss Of Life [Epic]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 9

Whilst in a mellow and jazzy mood here's another in the same vein also taken from Love Deluxe and released as a single.  It may not be all soul lover's taste but Sade's music has had an enduring quality. You can automatically recognise her voice and her sound has stood the test of time as I feel this track still sounds fresh almost 30 years later!  This did better in the US than the UK (#44) reaching  Top 20 in adult contemporary chart and R&B #10.

Perhaps some of today's 'aspiring' artists should take a leaf out of her book, she is beautiful, classy, unique and has a sound of her own which is why she has endured.  In her career spanning almost 40 years  she has released only 6 studio albums -  4 went BPI platinum and 2 BPI gold!  Her last studio album was released in 2010 although she relased a live album in 2012.





Omar Wilson [2020] - The Groove [BSE]


New release from Omar Wison 'The Black Sinatra' a bold claim indeed!  A typical stepper which are becoming a bit derivative since R. Kelly's 'Step In The Name Of Love' as they all seem to follow that formula.  Pleasant enough but doesn't set the world on fire.

Soul Strutter's Rating: 7.8



Omar Wilson [2019] - The One [BSE]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.7

The great thing about new releases is that it make you want to revisit previous releases and this has turned up this 'better' track IMHO taken from Living Legend album released in 2019.



Omar Wilson [2017] - It's A Man's World [BSE]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.4

Showing his versatility, this cover of James Brown's 1966 classic was released as a single in 2017. James Brown's version has been covered by so many but, in my view, never bettered.






Incognito Feat. Mario Biondi & Chaka Khan [2010] - Lowdown [Dome]


Soul Strutter's Rating 8.5

Lead track taken from Incognito's 'Transatlantic R.P.M.' their 30th Anniversary album released in 2010 is a cover version of Boz Scaggs 1976 hit featuring Mario Biondi (Italy's Barry White!) and Chaka Khan.



Boz Scaggs [1976] - Lowdown [Columbia 3-1-367]


The original from Boz Scaggs which I guess would be classed as Yacht Rock these days?





Carl Brister [2015] - Uncomplicated Love (Let's Go Back) [Agape Music Works]


Soul Strutter's Rating: 9.2

Title track from the Uncomplicated Love (Let's Go Back' album from 2015.  Quality neo soul music is still alive and kicking with this one.

Read more at Urban Music Scene



Lindsey Webster [2020] - One Step Forward [Shanachie]


A couple of tracks from Lindsey Webster's 5th and  latest album 'A Woman Like Me' to be released on 27th Mar 2020 the new single 'One Step Forward' and single previously released Nov. 2019  'Feels Like Forever'.

Lindsey has had 2 no. 1s and 7 top 10s on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and is Billboard magazine's Smooth Jazz Artist Of The Year.

Read more at Urban Music Scene.

Lindsey Webster [2020] - One Step Forward [Shanachie]


Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.4



Lindsey Webster [2019] - Feels Like Forever [Shanachie]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.7



Lindsey Webster [2018] - Love Inside [Shanachie]

A bonus: the title track from 'Love Inside' released Jan 2018 and a nice modern soul jazzy stepper.

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.85




COVID-19 19th March 2020

The latest figures from major European countries looks concerning - all 5 countries have seen the highest number of new cases.  

After stating yesterday that Italy cases seemed to be stabilising they have increased again yesterday to 4,207 new cases reported up from 3,526 on 17th.

The more worrying trend from Italy is that they have only 245 deaths fewer than China (3,245 v 2,978) with less than half the of the cases (80,928 v 35,713). 475 new deaths reported on 18th.

Germany saw a spike of 2,960 new cases (up 865 from 17th), their highest to date and it looks like their figures reported on Worldometer are being updated in real time as so far today there are a further 756 new cases.

Spain reported 2,943 up 1,089 from 17th (1,884), they also seem to be reporting in real-time as another 245 already reported today.

France has 1,404 new cases up just over 300 from 17th Mar.

UK reported 676 new cases the highest number of new cases reported to date up from 407 on 17th Mar.
The UK have announced that all schools will close after Friday 20th Mar indefinately.


The table below shows latest figures for Total Case, No Deaths, Death Rate versus one week ago.

IT
35,713
2,978
8.4%
/
12,462
827
6.63%
ES
14,769
638
4.3%
/
2,277
55
2.4%
DE
12,327
28
0.002%
/
1,966
3
0.001%
FR
9,134
264
2.9%
/
2,281
48
2.1%
UK
2,626
104
4%
/
460
8
1.74%

From the table above it is very stark the difference in the death rate in Germany which is less than a quarter of one percent whist other countries are 3%-4% and Italy 8.4%.  What are Germany doing to keep the death rate so low?  Italy has the oldest population in the world after Japan, yet Japan's death rate is 3.5% (32 / 923) and Italy has one of the best health services in the world.

The following table shows the rate of increase of total cases and deaths. Whilst, apart from Germany, the UK currently has the lowest number of deaths the number has increased by the highest rate in a week i.e. 13 fold increase from 8 to 104.


IT 2.87 3.6
ES 6.49 11.6
DE 6.279.3
FR 45.5
UK 5.76 13

It seems that panic buying is increasing in UK and supermarket shelves are bare.  I think if this anti-social behaviour continues it will only be a matter fo time before there is a complete lockdown in the UK.  Already the UK government have announced that 20,000 army troops are being engaged ... perahps put them outside supermarkets as it's only a matter of time before there will be fighting!