Wednesday, 2 June 2021

The Dirty Dozen Mix Part 17 2021 May (week 21)


A blended, 45 minute, non-stop, mix of the best new releases last week (May 2021 week 21) based on the 'The Dirty Dozen' published 30 May 2021

NB They are beat and key matched as best as possible given that I have only 12 tracks to work with.


Tracklist 
(with links to original posts)

Miriam & The Quinces [2021] - Fragments 2 [UPONZELLA Entertainment]


I posted Miriam & The Quinces EP "Fragments 1" back on 11 May 2021 which is now beginning to get airplay for "The One" (Starpoint Breakers and Global Soul Essential 5 this week). There is already a follow up "Fragments 2" on 28 May 2021, which  I have to say is very disappointing, to say the least, in comparison, but I'll post all four tracks so you can decide for yourself.

Miriam Sutter is a jazz singer and that comes across on tracks 2 & 3 which, frankly, are odd and dated with a 30/40s jazz swing style with the latter sung in German which translates to "Sound & Smoke". There is even a dreadful video for it on YT which I daren't post. Perhaps it was a rejected candidate for the Eurovision Song contest last week ... it really is that bad! 

The final track is probably the best of a bad bunch, but again sung in German which I think translates to Let Us Forget or perhaps Lest We Forget.  The first track "Can't Kick It" sounds like something else from the 90s but appears to be an original song.

I don't even know why I'm wasting my (and your) time posting it to be honest, perhaps just to show that "Fragments 1" was a blip as they certainly aren't a soul group?

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Details
Rating: 3
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: EP
Media: Digital
Label: UPONZELLA Entertainment
Cat No: None
Year: 28/05/2021
Key/BPM: N/A
Value: £3.49

B&The Family [2021] - Count On Me [Six Nine]


The latest offering from Newcastle based Six Nine Records is an 80s style boogie/funk outing from B&The Family "Count On Me" flipped with "Magic". Available as digital download or pre-order on 7" vinyl (£14,99).  

I think, of the two sides, I prefer the 'harder' flip "Magic". "Count On Me" sounds to me like the same hook from Soul II Soul's "Back To Life".

B&The Family is Brian Keith Morgan from Englewood, NJ, and his family members. He released a single in 1984 "Wanna Love Ya" They released a single on Super Disco Edits in 2016 and Austin Boogie Crew Records in 2018 which had a remix of his 1984 single on the flip.

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Details
Rating: 7.2
Genre/Style: Boogie Funk
Format: Single
Media: Digital / Vinyl
Label: Six Nine
Cat No: None
Year: 29/05/2021
Key/BPM: N/A
Value: £1 /£14.99

Devin Morrison [2021] - Nu Beginning [Self Released]


Devin Morrison is an Orlando, FL, native now living in L.A. He debuted with an album "Bussin'" in 2019.

His latest single, "Nu Beginning", a neo soul/R&B ballad, was released yesterday 1 Jun 2021.

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Details
Rating: 7.7
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: [Self Released
Cat No: None
Year: 01/06/2021
Key/BPM: 11A/90
Value: £1

Sema [2021] - Real [Self Released]


As stated on here before, if we didn't think that soul music is global then this artist is from Cook Islands in the South Pacific.  Despite the 'illusion' from the sleeve photo, Sema is a solo artist, in the centre, not a choir as it would appear from the photo.

The only other info I can find is that she released a single in March last year called "Too Late" which is an acoustic ballad.

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Details
Rating: 7.8
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Self Released
Cat No: None
Year: 28/05/2021
Key/BPM: N/A
Value: £1

Lenny Williams [2021] - Tonight [Divided Souls]


Lenny Williams has released a new single on 28 May 2021. 

Williams was lead singer of Tower Of Power between 1973-75. He released a handful of singles prior to that and rekindled his solo career around 1974 releasing his debut solo album "Pray For The Lion" on Warner Bros. He followed that up with an album on Motown in 1975, two on ABC in 1977-78 (his most successful phase) before moving to MCA for another three albums between 1979-81. He's released another ten albums since, on various different labels, between 1984 with his latest "Fine" in 2020 at the age of 75.

Although never having a Hot 100 hit (five bubbled under between 1977-79), Williams is highly regarded in rare soul circles for the many underground 'classics' he has, provided us with. "Cause I Love You", "Choosing You" "Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh!" (a UK Top 40 pop hit in 1977), "Problem Solver", "Gotta Lotta Luv" to name a few.

I did a discography of his 60s & 70s recordings last year. 60s/70s Discography

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Details
Rating: 7.6
Genre/Style: Modern Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Divided Souls
Cat No: None
Year: 28/05/2021
Key/BPM: 3A/105
Value: £1

Shonda Lareese [2021] - All Over Your Pages [BreeMar Distribution]


Debut single from Shonda Lareese, who I can find nothing about except that there are a few few videos of her rapping on YT from around 2010 (assuming it's the same artist).

This is an old school soul ballad self-released via BreeMar Distribution.

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Details
Rating: 7.6
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: BreeMar Distribution
Cat No: None
Year: 29/05/2021
Key/BPM: 9B/72
Value: £1

Joy Denalane [2021] - The Show [LESEDI Music]


Germany's "Queen Of Soul" and niece to Hugh Masekela was last featured here on 7 Apr with a cover of Bill Withers' "Use Me".

She is one of very few European (non US even) artists to be signed by Motown (I can only think of Kiki Dee being another European off the top of my head) who released the album "Let Yourself Be Loved" in 2020 but it didn't get a worldwide release, only being released in US and Germany. It is now being re-released as The Deluxe Edition with five additional tracks, "The Show" being one of those new tracks released as a single on 28 May 2021.

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Details
Rating: 7.8
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: LESEDI Music
Cat No: None
Year: 28/05/2021
Key/BPM: 10A/83
Value: £1

Secret Night Gang [2021] - Journey / The Sun [Brownswood Recordings]


Two tracks from Secret Night Gang. "Journey" which is a jazz funk tune in the style reminiscent of Jamiroquai and a more mellow tune called "The Sun". Released 21 May 2021 on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings.

Secret Night Gang are a nine piece British soul/funk group from Manchester formed by school friends Callum Connell and Kemani Anderson (vocals) along with Stuart Whitehead. They were later joined by Myke Wilson (52nd Street, Swing Out Sister, Corinne Bailey Rae) and then five others.

"The Sun" was also released as a single in April as, what appears to be, their debut single with the full length version here and a radio edit.

I found a video for a track called "Wanna Be With You" from May 2020 on their YT channel (posted below) which doesn't appear to have been released?

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Details
Rating: 8
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: EP
Media: Digital
Label: Brownswood Recordings
Cat No: None
Year: 21/05/2021
Key/BPM: 4A/128, 2A/70
Value: £1.29