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Saturday 30 January 2021

Richard Hartley & Soul Resurrection [2003] - Save Me [Shanachie #SH 5750]


Another CD only track from 2003 taken from 'Love I All We Need'. A gospel flavoured stepper.

There a few other good tracks on the album, the deep soul cut 'Crying In The Dark', a jazzy stepper 'Hold On' and 'Everything's Alright'.



John Stoddart [2003] - Falling For You [Reprise #47996-2]


The 'good' new releases are drying up a bit so let's go back and resurrect some releases from the turn of the century.  This is a CD/album only track on 'Wings To Walk This Road' released 2003 from John Stoddart.

Theres a couple of other decent tracks on the album including an updated version of The Five Stairsteps' 'Ooh Child', a nice jazz flavoured stepper 'Fly Away' and 'Anytime You Need A Friend'.



Dotttie Pearson [1978] - Bring It Over Baby / House Made For Love [Avanti #AV-12011]


For anyone wondering what 'crossover' is, then this is a perfect example, although 'technically' it's a bit late date-wise as this is a previously unreleased track from 1978, but musically it sits right in there.

It was originally on an unreleased Avanti album 'Dottie' which somehow Grapevine records got hold of and released it as a single in 2004 along with another track from the album 'House Made For Love' which has more of a modern soul feel. They also issued the full album on CD in 2003 with additional mixes of 2 tracks.

Bring It Over Baby

Full of crossover 'wonderfulness', this (for me) has got it all .. the vocals, the melody, the rhythm, the musicianship.  Very hard to pick up nowadays, as why would anyone want to sell it?  If you found one you'd be expected to pay around three figures for it.

Bring It Over Baby (DJM Re-edit)

If you can live without it on vinyl there is an extended DJM Re-edit available on BandCamp (21 Apr 2020) (along with a slightly extended version of an album track 'I Don't Want Nobody') or it's available on CD album for £10.

House Made For Love



Prominent [2005] - Step Into My World [Royalty (SE) #ROYCD9]


A superb modern / neo soul tune from 2005 by Swedish group Prominent from their 3rd album '42 Grams'. Boy ... is this soulful!

I'll take this opportunity to present a few other tracks from the album, with a 'health warning' that a couple of the tracks contain some 'rapping', but to me there's rapping and then there's rapping ... if you know what I mean! i.e. rhythmical rap v ranting rap which is just an unwanted  'noise' to me!

This was their last album. I don't know what happened to them as on the strength of this album, with at least 4 or 5 good tracks featured here, I would have thought it was good enough for further releases. I can find no further releases from them or any of the members of the group, although the lead singer Petricks Castelo did work on a 2008 Swedish movie: Leslie - A Star Waiting To Shine.

It would appear that they broke up, or had a sabbatical, for a few years and then made a comeback with a new single 'The Lights' in 2013, which I'm afraid is not to my taste as it's typical R&B/Hip-hop fodder.

Lucky Day

From the same album this one samples snippets of Shalamar's 'A Night To Remember'.

Let's Talk It Over

Never Loved No One

Hold On To Your World



Al Castellana [2016] - Souleidoscopic Luv [Lademoto] (Full Album)


Posting Al Castellana's new album promped me to revisit his last album from 2016 'Souleidoscopic Luv' and what a good album that is so it's well worth posting for new listeners.


Listen to Full Album here

A few of the top tracks:

A Man Of Mine (already posted here)

Suzi Smile

Sunday

Souleidoscopic Luv



Al Castellana [2021] - The Right Place To Be [Lademoto] (Full Album)


A new album, 'The Right Place To Be', from blue-eyed Italian soulster Al Castellana dropped yesterday (29 Jan 2020) and is his first since 'Souleidoscopic Luv' in 2016. On first listen it sounds promising.  The new single 'Let Me Be' is taken from it following up on 'Love Is Here' from Nov. last year. 

Apart from the two singles, other tracks worthy of mention (after a first listen) are 'Keep On Talking', 'Now I'm Ready' and 'Let Me Throught The Door', in fact not a single 'duffer' on the album - recommended.


Listen to Full Album here

Let Me Be

Love Is Here (Nov 2020)

A Man Like Me (2016)