Richard Hartley [2021] - Highway (feat. The Tokyo Soulmatics) [H.I.M.]

This is a curious coincidence, only a week or so ago I posted a modern soul / gospel track from his highly regarded 2003 album 'Love Is All We Need' which I thought was his last release (as no further releases listed on Discogs).  Well, he's just released a new single on 22 Jan 2021 and is starring in a new US reality TV sitcom series called 'The Rev' which follows his life as a pastor which is currently being aired on USA Network.

The Big Hustle [2021] - For Life [Betino's #BR 05]

A new album from Paris based neo funk group The Big Hustle 'For Life' released 15 Jan 2021. It contains a cover of Herbie Hancock's 'I Thought It Was You' which was a UK top 20 hit (#15) in 1978.

It has been issued on limited edition vinyl (300 copies only) but the vinyl album only has 9 tracks (digital has 12) and doesn't include this track.

You can listen to samples of the album on TraxSource.

UK Soul Chart - 8th Feb 2021 - The Breakers

01 - Mario Biondi - Lov-Lov-Love with Incognito (2021 Dare)

Already posted here

02 - Jack Tyson Charles - Glory (2021)

Already posted here

03 - Sheree Brown - Take A Walk With Love (2021)

Already posted here

04 - Deborah Bond - Radio (2021)

Already posted here

05 - Raquel Rodriguez - Undone (2021)

Already posted here

06 - Tatianna Mott - Come Home (2021)

Already posted here

07 - Alvin Garrett - The Lightness of Love feat Kim Scott (2021 The Lightness Of Love)

Already posted here

08 - J Daphaney - Love Star (2021)

Already posted here

09 - Adeline - Whisper My Name (2021)

Already posted here

10 - Andrew Ford - More Love feat Lauren Evans (2021)

Already posted here

11 - William Staggers - Glad To Find Love (2021)

Already posted here

12 - JD's Time Machine feat Cleveland P Jones - Agapesoul & U-Nam - Kiss Of Freedom (Extended Soul Jazz Mix) (2021)

Already posted here

13 - Mac Ayres - Where U Goin' Tonight (2021 Magic 8ball)

Already posted here

14 - Saint Mercedes - Crybaby (2021)

Already posted here

15 - Dav Hall - Still Lov'n You (2021 Soulsuite)

Already posted here

Tatianna Mott [2020] - Come Home [Take Each Moment]

I listened to this on release on 12 Dec 2020 and was a bit undecided as to whether it's neo soul or R&B. It's one of those 'typical' neo soul cloned sounds with light, airy vocals and almost acoustic backings. It has appeared in the UK Soul Chart Breakers this week.

It looks like it's only her second release. Her debut (?) was in March 2020 with 'Cycles' which is more of the same.

Cycles

Released 13 Mar 2020

UK Soul Chart - 8th Feb 2021

Eight new entries this week, of which 7 have already been previously posted and three of them appeared in my 2021 Best So Far posted yesterday (Michon Young, Jack Tyson Charles and Raquel Rodriguez).

Links to new entries. For previous entries follow link to UK Soul Chart

01 (2) Will Downing - The Song Garden (Album)

02 (14) Brian Power Feat. Lucy Jules - Optimistic

03 (3) Hil St Soul - Heaven Must Be Like This

04 (1) Bey Bright - Soul Nostalgia 3 (EP)

05 (11) J.D's Time Machine Feat. Cleveland P Jones/AgapeSoul & U-Nam - Kiss Of Freedom

06 (5) Sound Of Superbad Feat. Robert imtume Owens - Vibration

07 (15) Ruff & Tumble - Love Spectrum (EP)

08 (9) OsKeyz Feat. Conya Doss - 6019 (Album)

09 (26) Tony Lindsay - All Is One (Original/Mixes)

10 (19) Laura Rain & The Caesars - Closer to The Win

11 (28) PrivatProjekt - Welcome (Album)

12 (NE) Michon Young - You're Number 1 in My Book

Already posted here

13 (NE) Jack Tyson Charles - Glory

Already posted here

14 (12) Kea Michaels - Holla If You Hear Me

15 (NE) Adeline - Whisper My Name

Already posted here

16 (6) Tanqueray Hayward - Caught Up

17 (17) SouLutions - Anthology (Album)

18 (4) Luxury Soul Family - Various Artists (Album)

19 (NE) Deborah Bond - Radio

Already posted here

20 (7) The Groove Association Feat. Georgie B - It's Been So Long (Album)

21 (8) Aja Valle` - Mixed Emotions (Album)

22 (16) Josie Falbo - This Is Real / What You Do To Me

23 (24) Tilly - Life After Love (Nigel Lowis mixes)

24 (29) ToluMide - Throwback

25 (20) Stokley Feat. The Bonfyre - Cascade

26 (NE) Raquel Rodriguez - Undone

Already posted here

27 (NE) STR4TA - Rhythm In Your Mind

Already posted here

28 (NE) PVibez - Spread Love

Just posted here

29 (NE) Lamone - Born To Be King

Already posted here

30 (30) Alex Puddu Feat. Fulminayo Ngozi - Shadow Dancer

PVibez [2021] - Spread Love [Vibezlab]

London multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist PVibez released a new single on 28 Jan 2021 which is a new entry into this week's UK Soul chart. It's a fusion of funk/jazz and soul with synth.

This seems to be a trend the use of synth and vocoder which is creeping in like in the 80s.

Sheree Brown [2021] - Take A Walk With Love [Expansion] - PLUS Discography

Let's kick off this post with the inspiration for it, the brand new single from Sheree Brown (not to be confused with Sherree Brown (Chicago)) released 5 Feb 2021 from a forthcoming album 'Messages From The Spirit... The Collective' which is due 5 Mar 2021 on Expansion. It is the follow-up to her 2013 album Messages From The Heart... An Extension Of Love' released by Expansion in 2013.

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I first 'discovered' her in the mid 80's after hearing 'Got To Get Away' which literally blew me away.  It's one of the most soulful songs you'll hear. It moved me at the time and still does 35 years later. 

It is an album track only from 'My Music' released on Capitol in 1982 in US only, and has never seen a single release (It did feature on an Expansion compilation in 1993 'Soul Chasers').  I think it could do well if it was reissued on a 45!

Sheree released two albums on Capitol, 'Straight Ahead' in 1981 'My Music' in 1982. The track 'It's A Pleasure', from her first album 'Straight Ahead', was picked up on by the UK rare groove scene and it was released as a single in UK only.

It wasn't until 2000 for another album to appear under the banner of SBPR (Sisters Being Positively Real) which was a collaboration between Sheree and her close friend Patrice Rushen, 'Beautiful Women' on her own Brown Baby label (Note SBPR are also the initials of both artists). Another album appeared on Brown Baby in 2004 tited '83 followed by a release on UK's Expansion in 2013 'Messages From The Heart... An Extension Of Love'. Her latest offering 'Messages From The Spirit... The Collective' is due on 5 Mar 2021 on Expansion.

Expansion also reissued both her Capitol albums on a combined CD in 2011 with a bonus track 'Just A Simple Love' which was a track featured on her 'Messages From The Heart'.

Discography

Albums

1974 - VA - Fifteenth Annual Battle of the Bands: Hollywood Bowl 1974 [Custom Fidelity #CFS-3577-2]

Sheree Brown - Here & There/You're Not Anything, Just My Everything

1981 - Straight Ahead [Capitol #ST-12153]

It's been reissued a couple of times in Japan 1995, 2014 on CD and 2015 on vinyl and 20120 in US on CD.

A1 - You'll Be Dancing All Night (5:33)

A2 - Happiness Flows (3:55)

A3 - You Are Beautiful (3:23)

A4 - Get Down, I'm So Bad (3:33)

A5 - Passing Thing (3:47)

B1 - Never Do You Wrong (4:28)

B2 - Everything You Do (3:32)

B3 - I Wanna Be By Your Side (4:12)

B4 - It's A Pleasure (4:02)

B5 - Straight Ahead (3:12)

1982 - The Music [Capitol #ST-12229]

Reissued in Japan twice 1995 and 2002 and US in 2010. The album has never been released in UK (except for the 2011 Expansion CD issue of both albums).

A1 - Happy Music (5:45)

A2 - Feelin' Crazy (3:50)

A3 - Tonight (4:07)

A4 - Got To Get Away (4:38)

B1 - Love Only Knows (3:04)

B2 - Feels So Good (4:38)

B3 - Can't Live Without Love (4:03)

B4 - That's The Way To Be (3:19)

B5 - On My Way Home (3:34)

2000 - SBPR ‎– Beautiful Woman - The Album [Brown Baby #80038-23580-2]

SBPR are the initials of Sheree Brown & Patrice Rushen who collaborated on this album and also an acronym from Sisters Being Positively Real.

01 - Beautiful Woman

02 - Together

03 - I Got A Good Man

04 - Sisters Being Positivley Real

5 - Wish I Could Fly Away

06 - Ego Flight

07 - What If?

08 - Why?

09 - Gotta Hold On

10 - It's A Jam

11 - Walking In Central Park

12 - Beautiful Woman (Reggae Version)

2004 - '83 [Brown Baby #80038-23584-2]

01 - I'd Rather Be In Love With You

02 - It's A Pleasure

03 - Grown Folk Blues

04 - I Love You

05 - When Water Flows

06 - Love Is Forever

07 - I Just Don't Get It

08 - Day Crazy

09 - Little Boy Blue

10 - Interlude: If We Could Only See Through The Eyes Of Children

11 - Mother Drum

12 - Sometimes

13 - Interlude: No More Crying

14 - Why? Oh Why?

2013 - Messages From The Heart... An Extension Of Love [Expansion #XECD 60]

01 - Time For The Party (4:52)

02 - Just A Simple Love (3:58)

03 - In My Heart (3:18)

04 - On The Other Side Of Through (3:29)

05 - It's Just Like Love (4:16)

06 - Messages From The Heart (4:37)

07 - Bein' In Love With You (5:15)

08 - You Can Shine (4:42)

09 - We Can Change The World (Jamal's Joint) (3:39)

10 - Love Is Forever (4:39)

11 - Gettin' Started (5:16)

12 - Where Love Goes (4:31)

13 - I Think I'm Gonna Pray (4:42)

Bonus Track

14 - Inside My Love (4:01)

2021 - Messages From The Spirit.. The Collective [Expansion #XECD70]

01 - Take A Walk With Love

02 - I Choose Love

03 - Spirit

04 - Beautiful Girl

05 - Get Up, Stand

06 - We Can Make It

07 - I Want You To Know

08 - Her Blue Shoes

09 - Sorry 'Bout Bein' A Ghost

10 - I Wanna Thank You Love

11 - Do, I Really Do

12 - Can I Leave Next Friday?

13 - Lew Fleur

14 - It's All About Love

15 - Salt & Light (Rise Up)

16 - Spirit (Live At Conway Recording Studio)

Singles

1981 - Get Down, I'm So Bad / Get Down, I'm So Bad [Capitol #P-A-5079]

1981 - You'll Be Dancing All Night / Straight Ahead [Capitol #A-5026]

1982 - Happy Music / Can't Live Without Love [Capitol #B-5144]

1982 - Tonight / Love Only Knows [Capitol #B-5173]

1982 - It's A Pleasure / Straight Ahead [Capitol (UK) #CL 232]

2021 - Take A Walk With Love [Expansion]

A few 'class' tracks from her:

Got To Get Away

Can't Live Without Love

You'll Be Dancing All Night

It's A Pleasure (Live)

Happy Music (Video)

Jahah [2013] - Soul Music [Self Released]

I have now adopted this track as the anthem for this blog!  It's a track from his 2013 album 'Nostalgia BLACK'. I couldn't agree more with it's sentiments - e.g. 'what happened to the music', 'everything they play just sounds the same lately',  'the artists don't inspire', 'so tired of the radio cos they keep playing the same 5 songs', 'they don't make them like they used to', 'bring back that soul music for me'.

Othello [1999] - Too Late [Relativity #RPROCD0855]

A few tracks from a self-titled, unreleased promo album from 1999. Note, the last two videos have been 'truncated' by the poster, but give a flavour.

Too Late

If You Wanna Get Down

I See That Look In Your Eyes

Yes I Will

Jordin Sparks [2012] - Love Will [RCA #88725-42046-2]

Jordin Sparks was the winner of American Idol season 6 in 2007 aged only 17.  This track is taken from the remake of the 1976 move Sparkle, loosley based on the birth and rise of The Supremes, which was released in 2012.

Jordin Sparks & Whitney Houston [2021] - Celebrate

This was released as a single from the soundtrack but failed to chart.