Soul Strutter: 08/18/22

Thursday, 18 August 2022

Jerry Bell [2022] - Tell Me You’ll Stay / Call On Me [Expansion #EXS035]

On 1 Jul 2022 Jerry Bell released a new single "Keep It Real". He was a member of New Birth and then Dazz Band before embarking on a solo career. He recorded just one solo album "Winter Love Affair" for MCA in 1981 from which two tracks have been sourced for a new 7" single by Expansion Record.

"Tell Me You’ll Stay" has been an album only track until now and gets its first release on 7", whilst "Call On Me" was released as a B side to "Love Will Make It Right" in 1981. Both songs were written by Michael Wycoff.

Both sides were posted a couple of weeks ago using YouTube sound files pending a release date but are now available to order via Expansion Bandcamp store from today. Only the A side "Tell Me You’ll Stay" is available digitally but both sides on 7" vinyl.

Jerry is the younger brother of Archie and cousin to Thom Bell, Robert 'Kool' Bell (Kool & The Gang) and Al Bell founder of Stax Records.

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Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / Reissue
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl / Digital
Label:	Expansion
Cat No:	EXS035
Date:	18/08/2022
Price:	£14 / £1.50

Steve Aggasild [2022-08-16] - SoulAndJazzFlavas [Soul Groove Radio]

This Tuesday's episode of Soul & Jazz Flavas show from 'The Soul Master' Steve Aggasild on Soul Groove Radio 16th Aug 2022.

Whilst Steve's Monday show is upfront 2022 releases, his Tuesday shows focus on older material. Last week it was 100% slow jams and this week's show is 50/50 oldies / newsies.

Both shows are on Soul Groove Radio Mon 18:00-20:00 (BST) and Tue 22:00-24:00 (BST).

If you have yet to listen to Steve's shows please do take a listen as he is one of the best UK soul radio presenters around with a 40 year pedigree.

Catch up with other SoulAndJazzFlavas podcasts at Mixcloud or from 27 Jun 2022 onwards Podbean

Playlist:

1st Hour - Oldies

01 - Will Downing feat Avery Sunshine - I'm Feeling The Love

(2017 Soul Survivor LP)

02 - 4hero - Bed Of Roses feat Jody Watley

(2007 Play With The Changes CD)

03 - Deborah Bond - You Are The One (2011 Madam Palindrome LP)

04 - The Foreign Exchange ft Shana Tucker & Eric Roberson - Better

(2013 Love In Flying Colors LP)

05 - Misha feat Kaisha, Cocabona & Ian Ewing - Good Together (2021)

06 - Myles Sanko - Whatever You Are (2021 Memories Of Love LP)

07 - MS1 Project feat Destiny - Is That Enough

(2021 Remedy 4 The Mind Part 1 LP)

08 - Zingara feat James Ingram - Love's Calling (1981 Zingara LP)

09 - Lamont Dozier - Going Back To My Roots

(1977 Peddlin' Music On The Side LP)

10 - Jam & Lewis feat - Ann Nesby & Big Jim Wright & Lauren Evans -

Til I Found You

11 - David & Tamela Mann - Ups and Downs

(2018 Us Against The World LP)

12 - Freddie Jackson - Love Signals (2018)

13 - Joe Leavy - Inside You (2020)

2nd Hour - New Releases

14 - Bob Baldwin feat Kathy Kosins - Let's Rewind (2022)

15 - Frank McComb - Instead (2022)

16 - Michael Dunston - So Sensitive (2022)

17 - Sharon Rae North - You Make Me Wanna feat Arnetta Johnson

(2022 Silhouette LP)

18 - Ronald Isley, Beyonce & The Isley Bros -

Make Me Say It Again, Girl (2022)

19 - Sound of SuperBad ft - Joyce San Mateo - Loving You

(The 2am Mix) (2022 You're The Best Thing EP)

20 - Indigo Marshall - Summer Nights (2022)

21 - Sharon Rae North - Moments feat Marion Meadows

(2022 Silhouette LP)

22 - Boney James - Coastin’ feat Lalah Hathaway (2022 Detour LP)

23 - Lindsey Webster - Stay With Me feat Randy Brecker

(Soul Jazz Mix) (2022)

24 - Avery Sunshine - Lucky (2022 Four Songs & A Bootleg LP)

25 - Sipprell - Already Yours (2022)

26 - B Golden - I'm Through (2022 Feelings LP)

Lamont Johnson & Eugene [2022] - Let’s Go Dance Tonight / Burnin’ For Your Love [Soul Junction #SJ1019]

Soul Junction has licensed two previously unissued dance orientated compositions from Lamont Johnson for their latest single offering with more still to come. It is released under the project/artists name of "Lamont Johnson & Eugene". The A side "Let’s Go Dance Tonight" is a male vocally led early 90's mid-tempo feel good dance number. Whilst the B side "Burnin’ For Your Love", in contrast, is a more synthesized bass driven 80's female dancer which should appeal to the Boogie crowd.

The single will be available from Soul Junction on 7" vinyl from 30 Aug 2022.

Eugene Lamont Johnson was born on 20 Apr 1955 in Highland Park, MI. He holds the distinction of being the first internationally recognized fretless bassist in R&B music and rose to prominence as a session musician on Gloster Williams & The King Vision’s gospel album "Together" (1977) which possibly passed most of us by. However, an album that most certainly didn't was Detroit based band Brainstorm's "Stormin’" released the same year on Tabu Records.

Brainstorm was initially formed during 1975 by bandleader and saxophonist Charles 'Chuck' Overton, and included Belita Woods (lead vocals), Lamont Johnson (bass), Renell Gonsalves (drums), Trenita 'Treaty' Womack (percussion, flute and backing vocals), Bob Ross (a.k.a Professor RJ Ross) (keyboards), Gerald 'Jerry' Kent (guitar), Jeryl Bright (trombone) and 'Leaping' Larry Sims (trumpet and flugelhorn).

Their debut album "Stormin'" was recorded during 1976 and released in 1977 containing the massive disco hit "Loving Is Really My Game" along with "Wake Up And Be Somebody" and "This Must Be Heaven" which featured Lamont Johnson's vocals (video below of his solo performance).

Brainstorm went on to release two further albums before disbanding in 1980 but Lamont didn't feature on either i.e "Journey To The Light" (1978) and "Funky Entertainment" (1979). However, 1978 was a prolific year for Lamont as he played bass on Hamilton Bohannon's "On My Way", Jimmy McKee's "First Time Out" and Keith Barrow's "Physical Attraction" which contained the rare groove two stepper "You Know You Want To Be Loved". Barrow released just one more album before being taken by AIDS in 1983 aged 29. Coincidentally, earlier Barrow was a member of The Hi-Lites (not the same group that became The Chi-Lites) who released just one single on Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus label in 1973/74.

The same year Lamont released his debut album "Music Of The Sun" on Tabu which spawned two singles "Sister Fine" / "Yours Truly, Discreetly" and "Hey Girl" / "Differently".

In 1979 Lamont featured on bass on Chapter 8's debut eponymous album on Ariola followed by Nightflyte's self-titled debut on the same label. Chapter 8 at this time included one Anita Baker and Niteflyte Howard Johnson.

During 1980 Lamont began work on a second solo album for Tabu. Two singles were recorded "Rock You Baby" / "Something More" followed by what was to be the album title song "Rhumba" c/w "Masta Luva" which went on to become a modern soul favourite (live video performance below). Unfortunately, for whatever reason, CBS/Tabu decided to shelve the remainder of the project.

Yet another link to a recent post as Johnson played on Was Not Was' "Tell Me I'm Dreaming" (as did Kathy Kosins posted yesterday) and also Robert Lowe's "Double Dip" jazz/funk album.

Lamont has released two further CD albums on his own Allee Records label, "Amore' Dance" (2001) (which also has a song titled "Burnin' For Your Love" which is a ballad and not the same song) and "This Must Be Heaven" (2004). The latter featured Belita Woods (Brainstorm) and Detroit legend Pat Lewis with Sharon Jones also featuring on one of the tracks. Another Brainstorm group member Trenita 'Treaty' Womack also appeared on a few tracks.

Note both of his last two albums are available on Spotify (links on album titles) and also YouTube with his 1978 album also available on YouTube.

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / Boogie
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Soul Junction
Cat No:	SJ1019
Date:	30/08/2022
Key/BPM	N/A
Price:	£13

Lee Fields [2022] - Sentimental Fool [Daptone Records]

The second track to be pre-released as a single from the forthcoming album "Sentimental Fool" by Lee Fields which is due on 28 Oct 2022 is released today. The album will also be available on vinyl with pre-orders being taken by Colemine now.

The first, "Ordinary Lives", was released back in January and the title track "Sentimental Fool" is released today (18 Aug 2022).

Lee Fields debuted in 1969 and, as a solo artist and with The Expressions, has released over twenty albums since 1979 and countless singles. His last three albums have been for Big Crown records but the latest recordings appear on Daptone.

Both songs have been written by Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth (aka Bosco Mann) and are from a previously unreleased Dap-Kings session and announces his return to the Daptone stable.

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Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Deep Soul
Format:	Single / Album Track
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	18/08/2022
Key/BPM:	11A/61
Price:	£1

Robyn Black & Lou Pomanti [2022] - Just My Imagination [LP Music]

Toronto's Robyn Black is a singer/songwriter who has been a session vocalist for 20 years and is now stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist herself.

She has released three singles this year, the first in Feb with Lou Pomanti from his album "Lou Pomanti & Friends" with a Beatles cover ("Come Together"), on which she also featured of a cover of "A House Is Not A Home".

Her first solo single was last month, a cover of Bruno Mars "Locked Out Of Heaven", and her latest, released today, is another cover, of The Temptation's "Just My Imagination".

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	LP Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	18/08/2022
Key/BPM:	3A/93
Price:	£1

Midnight.Blue [2022] - Breathe [Perception Records] (Full Album)

Midnight.Blue is a collaborative project based in Denver, CO, formed in Apr 2020 by Lyle Divinsky (formerly The Motet) vocals, Eric Benny Bloom trumpet (Lettuce), Josh Fairman bass (Sunsquabi), Adam Deitch drums (Lettuce), Ian Gilley keyboards (Recess), Jake 'Jay.Greens' Leventhal guitar (Perception Records), Halle Tomlinson vocals (The Voice) and G. Finesse vocals (Black Eagle Society).

They released a debut singe "Take The Time" on Denver's Perception Records on 2 Jun 2022 which marked the first of four singles to be pre-released ahead of their forthcoming debut album "Breathe" released today (18 Aug 2022). In eventuality only three singles have been released, the last one "20/20" slipped out quietly last Friday (an explicit track featuring rap from G.Finesse) following the second one, the title track "Breathe", on 19 Jul 2022.

It's a solid set on nine songs with "Let Me In" I think the one most likely to pick up airplay from the six new songs.

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Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	Y Track 2
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Perception Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	18/08/2022
Price:	£8.91