Soul Strutter: 07/16/22

Saturday, 16 July 2022

Phil Edmond [2022] - Treasure [WayWay Entertainment]

Phil Edmond is a new R&B artist from New Bern, NC. He emerged in April 2021 with a single "Faded" and followed it with two further singles in 2021, all of which featured on his debut album "Chapter 1" in May 2022.

He has a new single out today "Treasure" (which didn't appear on the album). It's a soulful, self-written, ballad.

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	WayWay Entertainment
Cat No:	None
Date:	16/07/2022
Key/BPM:	5B/68
Price:	£1

Kourtney White [2022] - YOU [SONGBIRDWHITE ENT]

Kourtney White is from McKinney, TX, and has released her fifth single "YOU" today (16 Jul 2022).

Her first single, "Walk Away", was released in 2017 and all have a similar, old school, southern soul ballad sound. Her second single "Tennessee Whiskey" reminds me of Etta James "I'd Rather Go Blind" as it has the same feel to give you an idea of what to expect if you choose to explore her previous releases.

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	SONGBIRDWHITE ENT / Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	16/07/2022
Key/BPM:	10B/59
Price:	£1

Larrenwong [2022] - Songs That I Hate to Sing [Self Released] (Full Album)

They always say don't judge a book by it's cover and, with the braided hair, tattoos and six pack on display by Larrenwong, I was expecting this to be run of the mill R&B fare, but a skip trough the tracks on his new album "Songs That I Hate to Sing" revealed something of more substance. R&B yes, but soulful R&B with some melody

I think my choice from the seven track album is the final track "Only Heaven Knows" on which he is joined by Kristen Hold, a soulful ballad.

Larren is from Union City, CA, born to a Filipino immigrant mother and African-American father and is a self-taught vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter. He has a Masters of Science for Leadership in the Creative Enterprises and played linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks before embarking on a career in music in 2017.

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Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	Y Tracks 2,3,4 & 6
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul / R&B
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	15/07/2022
Price:	£6.93

Yvonne Gage [2022] - Feel Love [Music Matters Entertainment] (Full Album)

Yvonne Gage debuted in 1981 with, what is now regarded, an underground rare groove / modern soul classic "Garden of Eve" which has been posted here previously. She is back with a brand new album "Feel Love" released on 15 Jul 2022.

I have to say that, assuming several photos on her facebook are recent, she is wearing her 62 years very well and, as for the album, it is superb and could well be a candidate for SSSotW!

There a few of covers "Save The Children" (Marvin Gaye) "Light My Fire" (The Doors) and "A Song Of Love" (Lonnie Liston Smith), there may well be others but I don't immediately recognise them. A song titled "Reservations For Two" was recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1987 but I don't think it's the same song.

It's tough choosing a particular standout but I think the stepper "You Don't Understand Me" would be my instinctive choice. I'm not sure why a Christmas song was tagged on the end which is the only gripe!

According to the Wiki article she joined The Soulettes aged 14 (1973) and was with them for seven years. There were several female groups with that name but most 'likely', I would guess given that they recorded on a Chicago label, would be the group that recorded two Otis Brown songs on Dud Sound, but that's only a guess. There was another who recorded in 1968 on Detroit's Scope label but that may be too early.

They changed their name to First Love releasing an album "Love At First Sight" in 1980 (according to Wiki) but Discogs lists it as 1982 (which is more plausible going by cat. no.), in which case she had already left to join Captain Sky (who has recently released a new single) as a backing vocalist.

Through Captain Sky she met Donald Burnside who was his producer and he went on to write, arrange and produce her first single "Garden Of Eve" (on Atlantic) and her album "Virginity" (1984). He coincidentally, or otherwise, also wrote, arranged and produced First Love's album and both albums were released on C.I.M. (Chycago International Music).

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Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Music Matters Entertainment
Cat No:	None
Date:	15/07/2022
Price:	£7.99

R.I.P. William 'Poogie' Hart (17 Jan 1945 - 14 Jul 2022)

Founding member, lead singer and main writer for The Delfonics, William 'Poogie' Hart has died on Thursday (14 Jul 2022) aged 77. He had been admitted to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia with difficulties breathing and died after surgery.

The Delfonics are probably best known for their hits "La-La (Means I Love You)" (1968), and million selling, Grammy Award winning, "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" (1970). The first written by Hart and the second by Hart and Thom Bell. They also hit with another Hart/Bell song "Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" later covered/sampled by Lauryn Hill / Fugees in 1996.

Born in Washington, D.C., after singing in several groups, in 1964 William and his brother Wilbert formed The Orphonics with Randy Cain and Ritchie Daniels. Whilst working in a barber shop in 1965, William met Stan Watson who introduced him to a young Thom Bell who he presented with a song he'd written "He Don't Really Love You". Bell produced the music arrangement and it was released on Moon Shot (which later became Cameo-Parkway Records) in Aug 1966. Original pressings were billed as The Del Fonics. It was reissued after their popularity with "La-La (Means I Love You)" as The Delfonics and got to #33 R&B in May 1968.

Their next recording was on Cameo Parkway in Apr 1967 with two songs Hart wrote with Thom Bell "You've Been Untrue" / "I Was There". They followed it with "La-La (Means I Love You)" which, whilst recorded at Cameo Parkway, was released on Philly Groove in Dec 1967, a label set up by Stan Watson as Cameo Parkway was about to go bust. The song was written by Hart who was also the lead falsetto vocalist, produced by Stan Watson and Thom Bell (who also arranged it) and reached #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 gaining a national release on Bell Records. The success of the song resulted in the group recording their first album with the same title which included six Hart/Bell compositions and five cover songs.

They went on to release four more albums produced by Bell: "The Sound of Sexy Soul", "The Delfonics Super Hits", "The Delfonics" and "Tell Me This Is a Dream".

In the Thom Bell era between 1968-72 they had twelve R&B top 20 hits, two top 10 and six top 40 Hot 100 hits but as the hits dried up by 1975 they had split up with the brothers both creating different versions of The Delfonics. Cain left the group in 1971 being replaced by Major Harris. Cain was instrumental in setting up Blue Magic in 1973. Thom Bell moved on to work with The Stylistics and then The Spinners and Major Harris left in 1974 to pursue a solo career.

As a fitting tribute, below are two playlists, one consists of all their hits and another a selection of B sides and album tracks which may be less well known which is only just scratching the surface of some of their tremendous recordings.

The Hits

B Sides / Album Tracks

Charlene [2022] - Crazy 4 U [Savannah Street Music]

Charlene (Charlene Michael-Imobioh) is a London-based, British-Nigerian singer who caught a break when attending London's Jazz Cafe in 2011 to see Conya Doss. Doss asked for a member of the audience to join her on stage and Charlene's friends pushed her forward. Conya whispered the lyrics and Charlene sang them. She impressed some members of the audience she who have since worked with her to produce a new album "Red Carpet".

She has a new single "Crazy 4 U" released yesterday (15 Jul 2022). Another first heard on the Global Soul New Music Hour last night.

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Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Savannah Street Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	15/07/2022
Key/BPM:	10A/90
Price:	£1

D'MAR [2022] - So Much Soul [Self Released] (Full Album)

Derrick 'D’MAR' Martin from San Francisco has featured here a couple of times recently with singles "Just Let Go" (18 Mar 2022) and "What We Used 2 Be" (15 Apr 2022).

He released his fifth album "So Much Soul" on 15 Jul 2020 which includes the two singles above along with his latest two "Swing Low" (17 Jun) and "All Out Of Love" (15 May) along with an earlier one "When U Gone" (2 Feb).

Derrick 'D’MAR' Martin from San Francisco has featured here a couple of times recently with singles "Just Let Go" (18 Mar 2022) and "What We Used 2 Be" (15 Apr 2022).

The standout new songs, for me, are "I'm Getting High" and "Just Won't Do".

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Details

Rating:
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	15/07/2022
Price:	£7.99