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Monday 15 March 2021

Ron Basejam [2019] - Flight Of The Eisenberg [RBJ]


This is a real left-fielder. It's a rework of a jazz track by Brian Eisenberg Jazz Orchestra called 'Gift With Purchase' on their 2017 album 'Life Changes' by Ron Basejam. It originally came out in Sep 2019 but looks like it's being reissued as it was available on Traxsource as of 5 Mar 2021 (or perhaps it's a first time digital issue?)

I've also included the original below.

Ron Basejam [2019] - Flight Of The Eisenberg [RBJ]

Ron Basejam is an anagram of his real name James Baron.


Brian Eisenberg Jazz Orchestra [2017] - Gift With Purchase [Self Released]

From the 2017 album 'Life Changes'.



DJManuel & Suki Soul [2021] - Thinking About My Touch (Extended Mix) [Glasgow Underground]


Another soulful house / disco tune released 5 Mar 2021. It's a debut from DJManuel & Suki Soul.


Details
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Glasgow Underground
Cat No: None
Year: 2021
Key: 3B
BPM: 120
Value: £1


Matt Early & Lee Jeffries Feat. Will Bee [2021] - Love Is Growing Deeper (DJ Spen & Gary Hudgins Remix) [Lockdown]


A rare track, 'Love Is Growing Deeper', from Gene Chandler released on an obscure 1995 (CD only) album 'Tell It Like It Is' on Black Tiger, has been reworked by Matt Early & Lee Jeffries (who is the proud owner of the world's rarest soul record by Frank Wilson which he acquired last year) with the vocals of Will Bee.

The best mix for me is 'DJ Spen & Gary Hudgins Remix', although the Matt Early mixes are good too but I can't find them on YT. There are two batches of mixes the first set of 6 were released 12 Feb 2021 followed by a new set of 5 mixes on 26 Feb 2021.

Gene Chandler [1995] - Love Is Growing Deeper [Black Tiger #BT 0111-2]

Let's first inroduce the original first.


Matt Early & Lee Jeffries Feat. Will Bee [2021] - Love Is Growing Deeper (DJ Spen & Gary Hudgins Remix)


Details
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Lockdown
Cat No: None
Year: 2021
Key: ? / 9B
BPM: ? / 120
Value: £1


Duo-Tone Productions & Sense of Sound Singers [2021] - Show Me [Duo-Tone]


A soulful house tune available with four different mixes released 12 Mar 2021, main, edit, instrumental and Qwestlife remix. The sleeve states introducing Amber Kuti who is a member of Sense Of Sound Singers and is a UK based singer.


Details
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Duo-Tone
Cat No: None
Year: 2021
Key: 4A
BPM: 122
Value: £1


Deadly Sins v Shapeshifters - What About Lola? / Lola's Theme


One of the best modern soul tunes from the 80s by Johnnie Taylor's 'What About My Love' released on Otis Smith's Beverly Glen label in 1982. The label only released three albums, but what albums they were: Bobby Womack - The Poet, Johnnie Taylor - Just Ain't Good Enough and Anita Baker - Rapture.

'What About My Love' got a Deadly Sins edit in 2010 titled 'What About Lola?'.

It was also sampled on Shapeshifter's debut single 'Lola's Theme' in 2004 which topped the UK pop chart for one week and spent 25 weeks on the chart.

Deadly Sins [2010] - What About Lola? (Deady Sins Edit) [Giant Cuts #GC003]



Shapeshifters [2003] - Lola's Theme [Nocturnal]

Shapeshifters at this time consisted of UK producer Simon Marlin and Swedish produer Max Reich who recruited London gospel singer Janet 'Cookie' Ramus to provide the vocals.  The song 'Lola's Theme' was originally recorded as a promo instrumental in 2003 and was named after Marlin's wife (Lola).

Lola's Theme samples Taylor's 'What About My Love' and Anthony White's track from 2003 'Love Me Tonight', which in turn 'borrows' the line 'I'm a different person' (heard first at 1:42 in White's song) from Imarri 'Let Me Love You (acapella)' from 1993 (25 seconds in).


Shapeshifters [2004] - Lola's Theme (Extended Vocal Mix) [Positiva #12TIV-207l]




Spencer Morales Feat. Tasha LaRae [2018] - I Need Your Lovin (Spen & Thommy’s Strings Of Love Remix) [Quantize]


It's becoming a glitter ball, flares and platforms day! Here' yet another soulful house reworking of a disco classic. This time one of Teena Marie's finest, 'I Need Your Lovin' from 1979, gets several reworkings by Spencer Morales.  I quite like the 'Spen & Thommy’s Strings Of Love Remix', so that's the one featured but you can listen to them all here.

There's also a bunch of Opolopo remixes here but they are far more modern club oriented.


Details
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Quantize
Cat No: None
Year: 2018
Key: 8B
BPM: 122
Value: £1


Tasha LaRae & DJ Spen [2020] - Wish I Didn't Miss You (Main Vocal Mix & John Morales M+M Radio Edit) [Quantize]


Released in Jan 2020 is a soulful house version of Angie Stone's 'I Wish I Didn't Miss You', which is samples The O'Jay's 'Backstabbers'.  

There are several versions, the original Main Vocal Mix and then John Morales produced M+M vocal, instrumental and dub rmixes. The mixes featured here are Main Vocal Mix from the 'Tasha' album relased Nov 2019 and the M+M Radio Edit from Jan 2020.

Tasha Larae & DJ Spen [2019] - Wish I Didn't Miss You (Main Vocal Mix) [Quantize]



Tasha LaRae & DJ Spen [2020] - Wish I Didn't Miss You (John Morales M+M Radio Edit) [Quantize]


Details
Format: Album / Single
Media: Digital
Label: Quantize
Cat No: None
Year: 2019 / 2020
Key: 4A / 4A
BPM: 123 / 123 
Value: £1 / £1


Candi Staton Feat. NDC [2020] - Young Hearts Run Free (Joshua Grey Extended Discobitch Remix) [Unreleased]


Here's a great new remix of Candi Staton's 1976 disco classic by Joshua Grey featuring NDC on saxophone.


Details
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Unreleased
Cat No: None
Year: 2020
Key: ?
BPM: 120
Value: Unreleased


Beyonce equals Quincy Jones with 28 Grammy Awards


By a twist of fate after only just posting a reworking of Quincy Jones 'Stuff Like That' by Danny Krivits, we wake up this morning with the announcement that Beyonce receives her 28th Grammy award (equalling the record of Quincy Jones) for Best R&B Performance for 'Black Parade' which does absolutely nothing for me, she also won one for Best Music Video for 'Brown Skin Girl' Beyoncé feat. Blue Ivy and Wizkid but that and the whole cronyism of the 'lovies' awards ceremonies is another story.  

How winning Album Of The Year for the third time could be put Taylor Swift in the same league as Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon (the only other artists to have won this accolade) is anyone's guess!

Whilst Beyonce's popularity is undoubtable, what on earth is she doing on this blog you may well ask?  Well the girl can 'sang' when she is given 'decent' material rather than the poppy R&B/hip-hop stuff that has made her an international star. It seems that everything she touches turns to gold .. or does it?  I've selected some tracks she released as singles that never charted, and to me at least, they represent some of her best material!

2003 - Summertime Feat. P. Diddy

The first being 'Summertime' Feat. P. Diddy from 'The Fighting Temptations' soundtrack in 2003. It's not the Gershwin classic, it's an original song.


2004 - The Closer I Get To You with Luther Vandross

The second is a duet with Luther Vandross onh a cover of Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway's The Closer I Get To You'. It was released on her debut album 'Dangerously In Love' in 2004 and as a single, and was also released as a longer version (6:25) on Luther's 'Dance With My Father' album. It didn't enter the Hot 100 despite winning a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By A Duo in 2004.


Long Version on 'Dance With My Father'


2005 - Wishing On A Star

The third track is her version of the Rose Royce classic 'Wishing On A Star' released as a single and featured in the movie 'Roll Bounce' in 2005. Again, this is another rare occasion that she didn't enter the Hot 100.


2008 - At Last

The final track is Etta James' 'At Last' from the movie Cadillac Records which only reached #67 on Hot 100.



Chaka Khan & Idina Menzel [2021] - I'm Every Woman (IWD 2021)


It was International Women's Day last Monday which I celebrated with posts from some of the biggest female black music artists of the 20th century.  What I missed though was that Chaka Khan recorded a new version of her debut solo single 'I'm Every Woman' with Idina Menzel to commemorate the day.

I also found a 2021 rework by French DJ Kmell and a new release of a cover of it by Tinashe, so thought I'd bundle them all into a single post along with a few other noteworthy versions.

Chaka Khan & Idina Menzel [2021] - I'm Every Woman

I don't think it's commercially available.




Chaka Khan [2021] - I'm Every Woman (Kmell Rework 2021)


Tinashe Feat. TOKiMONSTA [2021] - I'm Every Woman (From 'Black History Always / Music For the Movement Vol. 2') [Hollywood]

Released 26 Feb 2021. More style over substance methinks!


Deborah Cox [2017] - I'm Every Woman [Broadway]


Aretha Franklin [2014] - I'm Every Woman / Respect [RCA #88875 03488 1]

'Probably' the ultimate 'womans's anthem' must be this medley of 'I'm Every Woman & Respect' by Aretha Franklin from her 2014 album 'Sings Great Diva Classics'.

Whitney Houston [1993] - I'm Every Woman [Arista #07822-12519-7]