The Dirty Dozen - The Best Of 2021... Part 8 (Mar 2021 Wk 12)

My selection of the best releases this week (Mar 2021 Wk 12). 

It was a very slow week for new releases until Friday/Saturday when a whole batch got unleashed making it difficult to narrow it down to twelve, when earlier in the week I thought I may struggle to even pick twelve!

In no particular order with [Camelot Key/BPM] where available.

Part 7, Part 6, Part 5, Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, Part 1

Wendisue - Walk Away Love [Self Released]

Technically this shouldn't really be here as it seems to have been very quietly released and tHe end of 2019 but it's not on her last album and I can find no reference to it other than on BandCamp.  It's a brilliant tune so needs more exposure.

Raja-Nee' Feat. ThaSaint and Wilfred Frelix - Come And Get This Love [JARF Music Group] [4A/80]

Carmy Love - Thinkin' About You [Big AC] [1B/116]

Myron Glasper - Make A Little Love [Industry Music Group] [8B/75]

Lee Jones Feat. Jacqine - Can We Rock [O-Town Records Inc.] [3B/100]

Tanya Nolan - Smile On My Face [ArtsessionZ] [3A/115]

Victor Lundberg Feat. Astyn Turr - You're Sorry [Epidemic Sound] [11B/80]

Joyce Wrice - Chandler [Self Released] [3A/69]

Dom Jones - Heartslave [Dom Empire] [8B/95]

Kole Alyse - We Gon' Make It [Kole One Entertainment] [12A/84]

Lady Di - Waiting On You [Self Released] [8B/61]

Nigel Hall - Wake Me [Regime Music Group] [2B/97]

The Dirty Dozen - The Best Of 2021... Covers, Reissues, Remixes & Samples Part 3 (Mar 2021 Wk 12)

Best cover versions, remixes, reissues and new songs using samples (Mar 2021 Wk 12). 

To make it up to twelve, this week, I've added four tracks which just missed out on the main Dirty Dozen, listed as 'Bubbling Under' below.

Part 2, Part 1

In no particular order with [Camelot Key/BPM] where available.

Cover Versions

Greg Blackman - Lessons In Love [Ramrock] [8B/101]

The Chestnut Brothers - Let’s Stay Together [Abdul Entertainment] [1B/110]

Output/Input - Close The Door [3A/109]

Remixes

Claudia Campagnol - Do You Love Me (Dance Edit) [Giant Sheep] [6A/103]

Asiahn - My World (Orchestral Performance) [Motown] [1A/78]

Reissues

Bernadette Bascom - I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love [Izipho soul #ZP58]

Nekita Waller - Wont Stop Loving You [Six Nine #NP30] [7A/93]

Retro/Disco

Jungle - Keep Moving [Caiola] [3A/111]

Bubbling Under (The Main Dirty Dozen)

Madelyn Grant - Purpose [Self Released] [7B/89]

Otis Kane [2021] - Sweet Sensation [Self Released] [9B/85]

D-Nice with Ne-Yo & Kent Jones - No Plans for Love [HITCO] [9A/110]

Terry (Harris) - IOU [TJHMusic] [3A/95]

 

Lady Bain [2021] - Limitless [Royal Court] (Full Album)

A new album from Lady (Cassandra) Bain "Limitless" released on 19 Mar 2021. The album is split 50/50 between R&B/hip-hop tracks and four good soulful tracks. 

My picks of the album are 'Other Side' (a soul/jazz cut), 'Limitless' (neo soul stepper), 'Yes To Love' (deep soul ballad and pick of the bunch) and 'Pure Love' (another deep ballad and probably the next best track).

Check out her YT channel (icon below) for some more nice soulful cuts.

Cassandra was, until four years ago, a Police officer in Detroit whose career was ended by a near fatal car crash. That, along with the loss of the love of her life to dementia, she was encouraged to start singing again having sung with Martha Reeves in the 80s.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

I've since discovered that "Pure Love" was actually released as a single on 14 Feb 2021.

Details

Rating:	8.3 / 8.2
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Royal Court
Cat No:	None
Year:	19/03/2021
Key:	5B / 10A
BPM:	64 / 69
Value:	£7.92

Sonia Ross [2021] - Let Me Be Free / Don’t Go Breaking My Heart [Hit And Run #HR 1527]

Gary J. Cape at Hit And Run has just announced the next two releases on the label. The first is two tracks from Atlanta labels Tragar and Super Sounds by Sonia Ross both previously released in 1969 but both very rare, 'Let Me Be Free' is reputedly the rarest on the label and Gary states that only 100 were pressed.

Tragar was an Atlanta, GA, label owned by Jesse J. Jones (J.J. Jones) named after his wife (TRAcy) and son (GARy). It released 19 singles between 1968-70 (6801-6020). 'Let It Be Me' was scheduled for  release on 6807 but was shelved after Jones received complaints about the explicit nature of the 'oohs' and 'aahs' sung by the backing vocalists. It was later released as the last of three releases on sister label Super Sounds (7003), the same label which brought us the Northern Soul classic 'Let Our Love Grow Higher' by Eula Cooper. After Tragar and Super Sounds folded, Jones started Note which ran from 1971-76. I believe that the Tragar, Super Sounds and Note catalogue was either bought by, or licensed to, Numero Group who have released various compilations which have included tracks from the catalogue e.g. 'Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels'.

Sonia Rossman was the lead soloist for the choir of one largest and most influential black churches in Atlanta, GA (Union Baptist Church) at the tender age of 14. She auditoned some songs she had written for Jesse Jones and he proceeded to cut two songs 'Young Love' and 'Breaking My Heart' in 1968 scheduled for Tragar 6807, but released in 1969 on Super Sounds. Her self-penned 'Let Me Be Free' c/w a Jones written ballad 'Every Now And Then' was one of the last, and hardest to find, on Tragar (6818).

The release date is 1 Apr 2021 - Gary's taking pre-orders at hitandrunsoul45@gmail.com - £12 + £3 P&P via PayPal Fiends & Family.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Let Me Be Free

Crossover

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

Sweet soul harmony/Lowrider

Details

Rating:	8.4 / 7.8
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Hit And Run
Cat No:	HR 1527
Year:	01/04/2021
Key:	N/A
BPM:	N/A
Value:	£12

Ava Cherry [2021] - Spend The Night (Deluxe Edition) [Cherry Records] (Full Album)

Ava Cherry has reissued her 1996 six track mini album 'Spend The Night' with four additional tracks: two bonus tracks and two house/dance remixes. It's due on 31 Mar 2021.

One of the additional tracks is a great version of 'Love Changes', a #2 R&B hit in 1987 for Mel'isa Morgan & Kashif which in turn was a cover of Mother's Finest released on their 1978 album 'Mother Factor' and also as a single (#26 R&B) featuring the superb lead vocals of Joyce Kennedy.

The album also has a new jack swing cover of Patrice Rushen's 'Forget Me Nots' which was sampled by George Micheal in 'Fastlove' in 1996 and Will Smith in 'Men In Black' in 1997.  UK outfit Tongue 'N' Cheek also had a #26 hit with it in 1991. There is also a 7:49 remix of it on the album which is a 'housed up' version!

Ava Cherry is probably best known for her personal and professional relationship with David Bowie in the 70s. She later worked with Luther Vandross in the 80s & 90s, who she had met when they were both backing singers for Bowie.  Vandross appears on this album.

Listen to Full Album here.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Love Changes

Forget Me Nots

Details

Rating:	8 / 7.8
Genre/Style:	90s Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital/CD
Label:	Cherry Records
Cat No:	None
Year:	2021
Key:	2A / 3A
BPM:	72 / 98
Value:	£7.99 / £10.76

Sherree Patrice [2021] - Me Time / Tell Me Sumth'N [Brown Butterfly Entertainment Group]

Previously known as Sherree Brown who released an album called 'Fresh Fruit' in 2008, which looks like it was re-issued in 2018 under her new name Sherree Patrice. Before that, in the 90s, she also recorded a self-titled album as Sherree Ford-Payne.

Sherree has spent many years as a support artists for a multitude of music industry heavyweights such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Chaka Khan to name just a few (read her bio on her website link below for a fuller list).

She has released two new singles in March, 'Me Time' on 12 Mar and 'Tell Me Sumth'N' on 26 Mar, both classy soul/jazz tunes.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Me Time

Tell Me Sumth'N

Details

Rating:	8.2 / 7.8
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul/Jazz
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Brown Butterfly Entertainment Group
Cat No:	None
Year:	12/03/2021 26/03/2021
Key:	9A / 1B
BPM:	69 / 120
Value:	£1