Andria Piperni [2021] - Who's Counting? [Self Released] (Full EP)

Montreal singer/songwriter (and graduate of Berklee College of Music) Andria Piperni debuted in 2018 with a single "Say Something". She has continued to release ten singles since then, the last three of them ("Settle", "Fresh Paint" and "Above The Clouds") are included on her first EP.

Of the remaining three tracks, the standout one is "Not My Friend". The digital download is well priced at only £1.79 for all six tracks ... silly not to really!

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Details

Rating:	8
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	EP
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Year:	04/06/2021
Value:	£1.79

Plutonic Lab [2011] - The New Ruins [Low Key Source] (Full EP)

A new six track EP from Plutonic Lab is due for release on Friday 11 Jun 2021. 

The EP is split 50/50 between R&B/hip-hop (tracks 1-3) and neo soul tunes (tracks 4-6). The available tracks have all previously been released as singles. "Long Slow" featuring Olivier (St. Louis) (released 27 May 2021) and "Good Thing" featuring Natalie Slade (released 26 Mar 2021) which was in "The Dirty Dozen" wk14 on 10 April and also featured in the "Best of April mix", "All Mine" featuring Miloux (released 4 Dec 2020) is a good neo soul tune, with "Enemy" (released 8 Oct 2020) being a hip-hop track.

The best new track is "Falling" Feat. Sunny Reyne which is a neo soul tune with jazz infusions. It's as good a neo soul tune I've heard recently, from a new Melbourne based blue-eyed soul singer who, as far as I can tell, has only released one previous single, "Used To This" last year (30 Apr 2020). 

"Casino In The Sky" starts off well but develops into a hip-hop track with rap after less than a minute. 

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Details

Rating:	8
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	EP
Media:	Digital
Label:	Low Key Source
Cat No:	None
Year:	11/06/2021
Value:	$7 AUD

Joe Adams [2021] - That’s Not Half Bad / Stop Before You­ Lose Me [Soul Direction #SD004]

The fourth release on Alan Kitchener's Soul Direction label, following up on the previously unreleased Eddie Holman Virtue acetate "Ready, Willing, Able" in Feb.

Two sides from Joe Adams. "That’s Not Half Bad" is a version of a song recorded by Gene Woodbury on Del-Val in 1966 and Adams' version was originally issued on a Philly Archive CD compilation "The Best Of Del-Val Records Vol. 1" in 2000. 

The CD also contains Gene Woodbury's version, who also recorded the original version of Bernie Williams' Northern Soul classic rarity "Ever Again" two years before Williams in 1967 (also on the CD).

The Flip side "Stop Before You­ Lose Me" is previously unreleased and both appear on vinyl for the first time.

The first YT video is the full version of "That’s Not Half Bad" whilst the second contains full versions of both sides.

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Details

Rating:	7
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Previously Unreleased
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Soul Direction
Cat No:	SD004
Year:	05/2021
Key/BPM:	N/A
Value:	£15

Eddie Holman [2021] - Hold Me In Your Arms / I'm Not Gonna Give Up [Shotgun #SHOT 113]

A previously unreleased mid 60s Northern Soul tune by Eddie Holman was first released on Grapevine in 2003. It is getting a second release on Shotgun (owned by Paul Mooney & Paul Conroy who are also behind One World) due on 18 Jun 2021. 

It is coupled with a killer, self-penned, deep soul ballad "I'm Not Gonna Give Up" originally released on Bell in 1968 (which had "I'll Cry 1,000 Tears" as the flip).  Both sides are Harthon productions involving Luther Randolph, Johnny Stiles and Weldon McDougal III.

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Details

Rating:	7.5 / 8.8
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Deep Soul / Reissue
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Shotgun
Cat No:	SHOT 113
Year:	18/06/2021
Value:	£12

The Opals [2021] - Can’t Give It Up / End My Suffering [Kent Select #CITY 072]

Two previously unreleased mid 60s Chicago recordings from The Opals, who released three singles on the legendary OKeh label between 1964-65, was released on 28 May 2021.

These two tracks were surprisingly discovered on some master tapes received by Kent/Ace for a Billy Butler compilation in 2007. It was not known who the group was at the time, but it was later discovered to be The Opals. Why it's taken fourteen years to the release them is anyone's guess!

A low quality sound file was uploaded to YT by Ace and I've attached a 30 second sample of the B side.

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Details

Rating:	8
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Previously Unreleased
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Kent Select
Cat No:	CITY 072
Year:	28/05/2021
Key/BPM:	N/A
Value:	£11

Mary Gresham [2021] - Use Me / Nobody's Gonna Turn Me Against You [MD #114]

At the beginning of May I did a post on three new singles being released by MD Records from Mary Gresham, Ruby Andrews and Bottom & Co. At that time only test pressings were available, but now they are on general sale.

Mary Gresham first became more widely known via a 2008 CD 'Voices From The Shadows' released on Garry Cape's Soulscape label. Both sides are from that album and were originally recorded in 1973. It's the first time they have been issued on vinyl. 'Use Me' is a sister funk cover of the Bill Wither's song (also recently released by Joy Denalane), whilst 'Nobody's Gonna Turn Me Against You' is an upbeat southern soul dancer.

I did a feature on Mary Gresham in Apr 2020.

The first YT video is the full version of "Use Me", the second contains samples of both tracks.

Details

Rating:	7.8
Genre/Style:	Classic Soul / Cover Version / Reissue
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	MD
Cat No:	114
Year:	2021
Key/BPM:	N/A
Value:	£12

Bottom And Company [2021] - You're Messing Up A Good Thing / I'm Sorry [MD #113]

Two previously unreleased tracks from Bottom & Co. found on a reel tape by Jordan Wilson. The tape comes from Wishbone production company which was a company and studio owned by Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey who worked at Muscle Shoals before being signed as writers/producers for Motown. Bottom & Co released four singles on Motown in 1974-75 and an album on Gordy in 1976. Their 1974 B side 'Gonna Find A True Love' has been a modern/Northern soul favourite for years and was written by Terry Woodford and produced and arranged by him and Clayton Ivey for Wishbone Inc..

The A side is a 70s/modern version of 'You're Messing With A Good Thing', a track also recorded by several others including John Edwards in 1973 on 'John Edwards' (and 1996 on 'Careful Man'),  Bobby Womack in 1974 on 'Lookin' For A Love Again', Heywood Cash in 1976 on Epic 45 and Bobby Sheen in 2010 on 'Too Many To Fight: The Wishbone Sessions From Muscle Shoals' released on CD by Soulscape. 

It is thought that Bottom & Co.'s version may actually be the first recording of the song. The flip 'I'm Sorry' is a soulful group harmony track written by John J. (J.J.) Boyce who was a member of Bags.

 

Details

Rating:	8.4
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / Lowrider Sweet Soul / Previously Unreleased
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	MD
Cat No:	113
Year:	05/2021
Key/BPM:	N/A
Value:	£12

Ruby Andrews [2021] - It Takes Me Away / You're My Life [MD #112]

Two previously unreleased tracks from Ruby Andrews have been issued by MD Records.

"It Takes Me Away" is the first song that Ruby Andrews recorded at Zodiac (written by Bridges, Knight & Easton), probably around 1967,  but it wasn't considered good enough at the time to release. MD are issuing it for historical reasons and have stated that the sound quality isn't up to their normal standards. The flip side was selected by Andrews herself as one of her more modern unreleased tracks.

The YT clip contains 90 second samples of both songs.

Details

Rating:	7.8
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Previously Unreleased
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	MD
Cat No:	112
Year:	05/2021
Key/BPM:	N/A
Value:	£12

D'Sound & Macy Gray [2021] - Save Some [daWorks Records]

Macy Gray's name isn't necessarily one that springs to soul listeners minds easily, her sound is a bit funk/rock/pop, to my ears at least. She's just released a new single with D'Sound, which has got an 'Uptown Funk' / 'Like Suga' vibe about it.

D'Sound are duo Jonny Sjo and Kim Ofstad (who co-wrote the track with Gray) from Oslo, Norway, more Scandis! They have been around since 1993.

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As a bonus I came across this D'Sound track from 2019 called "Powerful" from their last album "Unicorn" which I thought was quite good.

Details

Rating:	7.7
Genre/Style:	Nu Funk
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	daWorks Records
Cat No:	None
Year:	28/05/2021
Key/BPM:	3A/98
Value:	£1

Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers [2021] - I Want To Ta Ta You Baby [Raw Venture Records & Tapes, Inc.]

When you think of Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers the first track that probably comes to mind is their only hit "Bustin' Loose", or if you're into modern soul then the follow up, their version of the Jerry Butler 1968 song (co-written with Gamble & Huff) "Never Gonna Give You Up" which did absolutely nothing commercially for them. The song was also recorded by Shirley & The Shirelles the following year and, another, probably lesser known, version was done by Bonnie Bramlett in 1976 with Dobie Gray supporting her on vocals. There are around another ten versions from the likes of Gene Chandler, Eddie Floyd, Thee Midniters in 1968, Isaac Hayes, Lyn Collins in the 70s and Michael Henderson in 1981.

Another track of interest from their 1979 debut album is the ballad "Could It Be Love" with hints of Teddy P.

Their second album from 1980 "Funk Express" has just been remastered and reissued with four previously unreleased bonus tracks. It also has  a good version of  David Oliver's "Who Are You" and also a version of  The Crusaders / Side Effect / Willie Bobo, Wayne Henderson written, "Keep That Same Old Feeling".

One of the bonus tracks is a killer, bluesy, deep soul tune. It was written by Johnny 'Guitar' Watson who recorded it on his 1976 "Ain't That A Bitch" album (included below).

Details

Rating:	9
Genre/Style:	Deep Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Raw Venture Records & Tapes, Inc.
Cat No:	None
Year:	04/06/2021
Key/BPM:	3B/59
Value:	£7.99