ZAMII [2022] - Soul Conversation [Self Released]

This is a debut single titled "Soul Conversation" (released today 5 Jul 2022)  by ZAMII who I've had no success in tracking down information for. The only hint is that the song was written by a Joshgun Mamedov (who I'd imagine is eastern European or Russian?) which didn't really help much either.

However, it's a pleasant enough, moody neo soul tune.

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	05/07/2022
Key/BPM:	3A/75
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

FLASHLUKE [2022] - u+i [Self Released] (Full Album)

You will probably either love or hate this new album "u+i" by FLASHLUKE which consists of short (all around the 1:30 mark) lo-fi sample based tunes. The whole album is just short of 22 minutes for 14 tracks.

My ears pricked up when I sampled the first track "All I Need" as it uses Teddy P's "All In Need Is You" from "Teddy" 1979 (I think?).

I would imagine that most use samples but haven't had the chance to decipher them in detail yet but "In The Morning" sounds very much like Snoop Dogg (and it could be "Back Up") and the last track is the jazz standard "Time After Time". Most, if not all, have been speeded up which makes it a little more difficult to quickly identify them.

FLASHLUKE is an alias for hikarunosuke / Hikaru Nakamura, and his Instagram states that he's a beat maker and photographer, but a search only seems to return a chess player of that name. Which is not too surprising as this appears to be his first release.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Lo-Fi / Sample
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	05/07/2022
Price:	£7.99

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

The Universal Togetherness Band [2022] - I Want You / Call For Love [Soul Direction #SD012]

The Universal Togetherness Band were a student group led by Andre Gibson. In the spring of 1979 he put together a group after seeing a flyer by Chicago's Columbia College engineering department looking for a band to record in their studios. Between 1979 and 1982 they used the studio to record their songs for no cost. Although Mercury records showed an interest in releasing their recordings nothing materialised. Their recordings went unreleased for 30 years until Numero Group stumbled across the group via a recording of an 80s TV show "The Chicago Party" on which they performed live. They tracked down Andre Gibson with a view to releasing some of the groups recordings. In 2014 Numero released a self-titled album on the group on digital, vinyl and CD.

Soul Direction has obtained approval to release two of the tracks from the album, "I Want You" and "Call For Love" on 7" vinyl

Andre Gibson is from Chicago and was influenced to pursue music at the age of six after seeing the great Jackie Wilson perform at The Regal Theatre. He was also further influenced by The Temptations and Stevie Wonder. However it was his maths teacher Artee 'Duke' Payne who was the saxophonist/flutist for Odell Brown and the Organ-Izers (who were signed to Cadet Records) who nurtured him. Not deflated by UTB's lack of success, Andre Gibson still records music to this day at the age of 66.

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Soul Direction
Cat No:	None
Date:	11/07/2022
Key/BPM:	9A/83 / 8A/110
Price:	£15

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Father's Children [2022] - Everybody’s Got a Problem / In Shallah [Soul Direction #SD-010]

Fathers Children were a Washington D.C. band probably best known for their rare groove single "Hollywood Dreaming" taken from their only released, self-titled, album on Mercury in 1979. It was co-written and produced by ex-Crusader Wayne Henderson.

They formed in the late 60s as a group of three high school friends Nick Smith, Billy Sumler and Ted 'Skeet' Carpenter who sang doo-wop on the street corners and under the streetlamps. They didn't have a name even though they were gigging and it wasn't until a fourth member, Jackie Peoples, joined and they got a gig supporting Frankie Karl that they became The Dreams. 

They cut a few singles on D.C. Sound. The first as Frankie Karl & The Dreams "Don't Be Afraid (Do As I Do)" / "I'm So Glad" (Oct 1968),  followed by two as The Dreams "Do What You Wanna"  (Apr 1969) and  "(They Call Me) Jessie James" (Jul 1969).

The first and last have been well known in UK rare soul circles for decades and no doubt both sides of the first and the second on the lowrider scene. In fact "(They Call Me) Jessie James"  got a UK issue on Jay Boy in 1971. Both sides of the first two singles were written by William (Billy) Jackson who was later involved with a few groups including producer of Soirée and The Tymes.

Through a community programme founded by Norman Hylton the quartet was extended with Michael Rogers (bass) and  Donald Radcliff (drums) (later replaced by Zachary Long) and later Steve 'Tai' Woods (guitar).

Hylton had converted to Islam and influenced several of the band members to do so and they later changed their name to Father's Children. In 1972 Hylton (now known as Saleem) was introduced to Robert Hosea Williams who owned several small studios and worked with Gil Scott Heron and Van McCoy. Hylton handed the band over to Fly Enterprises. They already had the the two tracks on this release "Everybody's Got a Problem" and added "In Shallah" and cut some other tracks. Fly Enterprises went bust in 1976 with no funds to pay for the master tapes of the bands recordings so Robert Hosea Williams held on to the masters as he hadn't got paid and filed them in his garage. 

The band was left hanging and some members perused personal projects that didn't come to anything. However, a chance meeting led to them being signed by Mercury where they released a self-titled album in 1979 which spawned the single "Hollywood Dreaming" which didn't sell and thus ended their contract with Mercury.

They reformed in 2005 and released a self-funded album "Sky’s The Limit".

In 2011 Numero Group got hold of the master tapes from their early sessions which Robert Hosea Williams had preserved and released an album titled "Who's Gonna Save The World" on CD and vinyl.

Soul Direction have, with permission, lifted two tracks from the album, "Everybody’s Got a Problem", which is a powerful message about political conflict surrounding the Nixon administration, and "In Shallah" (translates to Allah Wills" / "God Willing" in Arabic) for their next 7" vinyl release which is due on 11 Jul.

Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul Direction
Cat No:	SD-010
Date:	11/07/2022
Key/BPM:	7A/84 / 11B/124
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Ylusive [2022] - Right There [HRDRV]

The latest single from Ylusive "Right There" will be his fifth, all released in 2022, with his first in May and another three in June and this one on 1 Jul 2022.

They have all be written by Jeremiah Morton, so have to assume that is Ylusive's real name, who is from Virginia. 

The strapline on his Instagram account made me smile 'Currently working on becoming a sex symbol' ... join the queue mate, although I was told by the nurse after my ruptured achilles tendon operation that my modelling days were now over, so he can have my slot in the queue!

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Details

Rating:	7.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	HRDRV
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/07/2022
Key/BPM:	5A/96
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Jamison Ross [2022] - Tell Me You Love Me [Affective Music]

With listening to so much new music everyday many just get a few seconds (which in the majority of cases is a few seconds too much!) and it's on to the next sample. However very occasionally quality simply shines through, as is the case with this debut single from Jamison Ross, "Tell Me You Love Me" (released today 5 Jul 2022) which has it all, a bit of soul, jazz and gospel. 

I say debut single only as it's his first single release but he has already released two albums "Jamison" (2015) and "All For One" (2018). His debut album was Grammy nominated as Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2016.

Jamison Ross is a jazz drummer from Jacksonville, FL, who has featured on many artists' albums going back to 2012, including Carmen Lundy, Dr. John and Snark Puppy.

He won Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drums Competition in 2012 after which his career took off.

In 2019 he set up Affective Music with David S. Hargrett and released a single by Mykal Kilgore "Let Me Go" for which Jamison won his second Grammy nomination.

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Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Affective Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	05/07/2022
Key/BPM:	10A/85
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Summer Payton [2022] - My Life [Jeresum Entertainment]

Summer Payton is a singer/songwriter/musician/producer originally from Chicago, now living in the L.A. via NYC, released her debut album "Golden Hour" on her birthday, 25 Dec 2020 after releasing a few singles prior to that since 2013.

Her latest single "My Life" was released on 25 Jun 2022 and is a song she wrote for a short movie "Save A Life" by Vivian D. Payton who also produced "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion" (2020), "The Next Big Thing" (2019) and "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" (2012). I don't know if they are related, but it seems too coincidental if they weren't?

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Jeresum Entertainment
Cat No:	None
Date:	25/06/2022
Key/BPM:	9B/97
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Jade Novah & Kenyon Dixon [2022] - Rollercoaster [Let There Be Art]

Jade Novah and Kenyon Dixon collaborate on a new single "Rollercoaster" released on Friday (1 Jul 2022).

Jade Novah appeared here with her last single "Lost In Love" in April and Kenyon Dixon has just had a five week run on the Global Soul chart with his album "Closer" which reached #2 on its third week on 28 May 2022.

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Jade Novah

Kenyon Dixon

Details

Rating:	8.3
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Let There Be Art
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/07/2022
Key/BPM:	10B/70
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved