Soul Strutter: August 2023

Thursday, 31 August 2023

Soul Associates Top 30 - 2023 Week 34 (w/e 27 Aug 2023)

		Top 30 Wk 34 (w/e 27 Aug 2023)
Pos	Last	Artist - Title/Artist - Album
1	1	Output / Input - Forward Motion LP
2	2	Paulette McWilliams - These Are The Sweet Things LP
3	4	Robert IMtume Owens - Elementary
4	3	Joe Leavy - Soul On Fire LP
5	13	Chelle Nae - I'm On A Mission / Daydreaming About You
6	5	Brian Power & Cornell C.C. Carter - Sometimes
7	6	Michelle Tabot - Vibez EP
8	11	Joy Denalane - Hideaway
9	7	Gary B. Poole - Soul Talk (The Final Sessions) EP
10	B3	Sabrina Starke - Love the Mystery
11	B6	Marcus Machado - Blue Diamonds LP
12	8	Em-Cee - Comfortable
13	17	Incognito - Back On The Beach [Into You LP]
14	12	Papik & The Soultrend Orchestra feat. Nadyne Rush - Let's Fall in Love
15	16	Shaila Prospere - Dance All Night
16	9	Erica Falls - Up
17	B1	Menagerie - The Shores Of Infinity LP
18	15	Leela James - Right Back In It
19	22	Endre Blaq feat. K Delore - Can't Be Without You
20	18	Felece Tillman - Brighter Love
21	10	Sound Of SuperBad feat. Joyce San Mateo - Into You
22	14	B. Golden - You
23	B5	Robyn Springer - Crazy Bout You
24	B4	The 7 Day Weekend feat. Sonya Rae Taylor - High
25	28	Club des Belugas & Lene Riebau - A Quiet Moment
26	29	Jahkayla - EP2. EP
27	NE	Whittington Still - You Make Me Sing
28	24	Regi Myrix feat. Lina - Let It Go
29	B2	Teddy Bryant - Dinner For Two LP
30	NE	Lamone feat. William Prince - Strive
		BREAKERS
B1	NE	Ruby Wood - Me and My Girl
B1	NE	Izo Fitzroy - Small Mercies (Art Of Tones Remix)
B1	NE	Farah Audhali & Blue Lab Beats - Favourite
B4	NE	Shonda English - Travelin' LP
B5	NE	Lina Nikol - A Mood Called 'You' Remixes LP
B6	NE	Elan Noelle - Elan LP

Tyrese [2023] - Love Transaction / Don’t Think You Ever Loved Me [Voltron Recordz]

Tyrese Gibson, at the age of only 44, may be regarded as a veteran with 25 years recording history, debuting in 1998 with an eponymous album for RCA. He is also an actor featuring in several 'Fast & Furious' movies as well as 'Transformers' and others.

He is finalising his latest album "Beautiful Pain", a 20 track double album inspired by his recent divorce. He was also dropped from his label (UMG's Caroline label) so will most likely be self-releasing it.

On Friday he released a Marvin'ish "Love Transaction" and has posted a remix of "Don’t Think You Ever Loved Me" feat. Le'andria Johnson & Lenny Kravitz on his YouTube channel. The original mix of which was released in Feb '23.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Voltron Recordz / Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	25/08/2023
Key/BPM:	2B/89
Price:	£1

Geater Davis [1971] - My Love Is So Strong For You [House Of Orange #HO45-2402]

Continuing to dig through the vinyl vaults, this one is yet to have it's day, although it is creeping up in price with Manship currently listing it for £70.

A song co-written by Vernon 'Geater' (sometimes Jeater) Davis and Reuben Bell from 1971 on Allen Orange's very short-lived House Of Orange label, set up specifically to releases music by Davis and Bell. The label released just seven singles between 1970-71 but seems to have been reactivated in the late 70s for a few singles all by Geater Davis.

Allen Orange cut a 45 with Allen Toussaint in 1960 billed as Allen & Allen after the pair auditioning for a New Orleans DJ Larry McKinley. It was Toussaint's first outing on wax. Orange then wrote a couple of songs for Roscoe Shelton on Sims who later joined Sound Stage 7 where Orange wrote several more songs for him.

Geater Davis' voice was often compared to Bobby 'Blue' Bland. He died in 1984 of a heart attack aged only 38 having released around twenty singles and two albums.

The two songs presented here are his second single "My Love Is So Strong For You" along with the deep soul flip "I Can Hold My Own" from his debut album "Sweet Woman's Love" which is regarded as a deep soul classic.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Blues Soul / Deep Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	House Of Orange
Cat No:	HO45-2402
Date:	1971
Price:	£70 approx

Tommy Tate [1977] - If You Got To Love Somebody [KoKo #726]

Following the Tommy Tate post yesterday here's another, "If You Got To Love Somebody", which became popular circa 2000.

It was an unreleased promo from KoKo in 1977 and allegedly only two known copies exist. White label vinyl copies were floating around in 2000 taken from a 1996 Japanese (P-Vine) CD "Soul Revelations The Complete KoKo Recordings", a different/smoother version.

Grapevine released it in 2003 as the flip to "Do You Think There's A Chance" and it was later reissued by Kent in 2010.

The white label 'bootleg' had Byron Miller "Got To Get It Right (Radio Edit)" on the other side.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	9
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	KoKo
Cat No:	726
Date:	1977
Key/BPM:	9B/110
Price:	£1

Chuck Cissel [1979] - Just For You [Arista #AB 4527] (Full Album)

Tucked away of the B side to Chuck Cissel's highest (of only three) charting singles "Cisselin' Hot", is a tune that got some spins on the modern soul scene, "Do You Believe".

Both are taken from his first of only two albums, "Just for You", in 1979 produced by Skip Scarborough. He followed it with the now sought after "Don't Tell Me I'm Sorry". Both sides were reissued together on 7" by Expansion in UK in 2018.

We were just going to post "Do You Believe" but, after listening to the full album again, there are some other good underplayed tunes on it e.g. "Emergency" and "I've Been Needing Love So Long".

Cissel, now 74, started out performing on Broadway shows, so perhaps that explains why he released just two albums and perhaps, owing to the success of "Cisselin' Hot", became labelled as a disco artist? His second album, whilst containing a superb version of The Dell's "Love Is Missing From Our Lives" (written by Tony Hester) and a minor R&B hit with Marva King on the title track, a MORish ballad "If I Had A Chance", was a commercial failure and was ultimately his last album.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Arista
Cat No:	AB 4527
Date:	1979
Price:	£7.49

MT Jones [2023] - Wasting My Time [Self Released]

The latest, and fifth, single within the last year from Liverpool's MT Jones is "Wasting My Life". Again it's a retro song like his previous four: "I'd Be Lying" (May '23), "In My Arms" (Feb '23), "Feeling Lonely" (Dec '22) and "I Won't Say Goodbye" (Nov '22).

It features his first music video, although his first two singles were supported by live videos.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul / Blue-Eyed
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	30/08/2023
Key/BPM:	12A/98
Price:	£1

Dalona [2023] - In Love w/ a Leo [Self Released]

Dalona Turner is a singer, songwriter and producer born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI now living in The Music City of Nashville, TN.

She's from a musical family, her mother is Denise Flippin who toured with Al Green for many years, and started singing in church.

Dalona's first single is "In Love w/ a Leo" (her husband is a Leo) from a forthcoming EP "Burning Journals".

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	18/08/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£1

Steve Aggasild [2023-08-30] - SoulAndJazzFlavas (The Jazz Club)

Steve Aggasild's midweek show for State Of The Art Radio (SOTAR) broadcast on Wed. 30th Aug 2023 between 20:00-22:00 GMT.

This Wednesday's show is The Jazz Club with a snazzy new graphic by Lorraine Winser aka LoGraphiti.

Steve now does a show Fri 21:00-23:00 (GMT) on Soul Music Radio and two shows a week on SOTAR Sun 20:00-22:00 (GMT) and Wed 20:00-22:00 (GMT). If you have yet to listen then 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:

Artist	Title / Album	Year
Snowboy & The Latin Section	New York Afternoon (Inst)	2018
Morrissey Mullen	Brazil Nut [Life On The Wire]	1982
Paz	Sunny Day [Look Inside]	1983
Paprika Soul	Rio Sunset [Into The Light]	2002
Norman Connors feat. Adaritha & Gary Bartz	Be There In The Morning [Invitation]	1979
Incognito feat. Chiara Hunter	Part Of The Plan [Amplified Soul]	2014
Takuya Kuroda feat. Jose James	Everybody Loves The Sunshine [Rising Son]	2013
Menagerie	Danieda's Dance (Radio Edit) [The Shores Of Infinity]	2023
Max Beesley's High Vibes	Zeus [Zeus]	2023
Baltic Jazz Recordings feat. The Air Horns	Never Be The Same [Revisioned]	2023
Skinny Hightower	Groove Factor [Mind Over Matter]	2023
The Jeff Lorber Fusion	The Samba [Soft Space]	1978
Dee Lucas	The Morning After [Going Left]	2018
Jeff Lorber Fusion	Night Love [Galaxian]	1981
Skinny Hightower feat. Bebe Merrills	Next To You [Retrospect]	2018
Brian Culbertson	Step into Love [The Trilogy, Pt. 3: White]	2022
Noel Elmowy feat. Doug Williams & Gerald Albright	Only For You [Feelin' Good]	2000
Gerald Albright	Better Days Ahead [G Stream]	2020
Norman Brown	Just Groovin [Heart To Heart]	2020
Boney James feat. Kenny Lattimore	Be Here [Solid]	2020
Lindsey Webster	Feels Like Forever [A Woman Like Me]	2020
Brian Culbertson feat. Noel Gourdin	The Truth [XX]	2020
Chris Turner feat. Ayana George	Reckless Love [Love & Legacy]	2020
Carol Albert feat. Paul Brown	For The Moment [Stronger Now]	2020
Skinny Hightower	Bittersweet [Blue Moon]	2020
Ashleigh Smith feat. Chantae Cann	In The Rain (Extended Mix)	2020
Dave Koz feat. Brian McKnight	Summertime In NYC [A New Day]	2020
Freddy Fox feat. Evelyn Champagne King	Let's Dance [Limitless]	2020
Brian Culbertson	Dance with Me Tonight [The Trilogy, Part 3 : White]	2022
Skinny Hightower	Sample That [Retrospect]	2018
Najee feat. Kenny Lattimore	Better [Center Of The Heart]	2019
Kirk Whalum feat. Andrea Lisa	Get Your Wings Up [Humanite]	2019
Lin Rountree feat. Jessica Jolia	Something More [Stronger Still]	2018
Ramsey Lewis	Brazilica [Salongo]	1976
Nelson Rangell	A House Is Not A Home [Destiny]	1995
Gerald Albright feat. Chuckii Booker	Anniversary [Smooth]	1994

Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Northern Soul at The Proms - BBC 26 Jul 2023

For various reasons, which we won't bore you with, we only got around to watching Saturday night's Northern Soul at The Proms show until last night. It was recorded on 15 Jul and broadcast on BBC on Saturday (26 Jul).

The show was a celebration of over 50 years of the Northern Soul subculture which evolved in the late 60s/early 70s in the North and Midlands of England (initially).

It's a good watch and most reports we've seen have been positive. Whoever would have imagined 50 years ago that the disregarded soul music of the 60s and 70s, discovered by an essentially working class underground subculture, would feature in the BBC Proms? To an extent it is the antithesis of what Northern Soul was about, as it was always elitist and underground, but let's celebrate it for what it is.

Six singers were backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra (conducted by Edwin Outwater) at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London. The singers were:

Vula Malinga, Frida Touray, Natalie Palmer, Brendan Reilly, Nick Shirm and Darrell Smith.

The show lasted just over 90 mins and they sang 22 Northern Soul classics. The 'dyed-in-the-wool' Northern Soul devotees will say they are 'played out', but we bet every one of them danced to most of them back in the day!

It's available to watch on BBC iPlayer but unfortunately for those living outside the UK it probably won't be available for you to watch (as you need to be a UK TV licence payer). Therefore, we've included a playlist of all the songs in the order they were sung. Videos have leaked onto YouTube which we won't post as we don't believe that they are official ones.

NOTE Frank Beverly and Judy Street songs are not available on Spotify so alternate version have been included.

Tommy Tate v The Controllers [1981/1978] - Listen To The Children [Juanna]

An underplayed/overlooked (possibly even under the radar?) gem from Tommy Tate's 1981 self-titled Juana album.

"Listen To The Children" was written by Joe Shamwell and features The Controllers on BGVs who recorded it in 1978 on their "Fill Your Life With Love" album, also on Juana.

Neither of them released it as a single, so both are album only tracks.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Album Track
Media:	Digital
Label:	Juana
Cat No:	JU 1003 / 200,002
Date:	1981 / 1978
Price:	£10-£20 approx.

Bridge feat. Freddie Hughes [1999/1981] - Listen [F.E.R.#FER-CD3]

The late Freddie Hughes takes lead vocals on the a Paul Tillman Smith song "Listen". It was first recorded for Norman Connors & Starship Orchestra "This Is Your Life" album in 1977 with James Robinson on lead vocals.

This version is from Bridge's unreleased "Crying For Love" album recorded around 1981 but not released until 1999 thanks to Mark Coddington's First Experience Records (F.E.R.).

It was first issued on CD and then vinyl. The vinyl copies now fetch as much as £250, when they are for sale, as there are no vinyl copies currently for sale on Discogs.

A desert island disc for sure and if ever the phrase 'masterpiece' applied then surely it is fitting here?

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	9.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Album Track
Media:	CD
Label:	F.E.R.
Cat No:	None
Date:	1999 (1981)
Price:	£N/A

James Brown & The J.B.'s [1977] - People Wake Up And Live [Polydor #PD 14409]

Whilst we trawl through the new releases looking for something worthwhile posting, we'll have a dig through our vinyl vault.

In a summer of heatwaves and wild fires, The Godfather of Soul was already preaching about it as long ago as 1977 with this track, "People Wake Up And Live", in particular from "Mutha's Nature".

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Polydor
Cat No:	PD 14409
Date:	07/1977
Key/BPM:	12A/120
Price:	£15-£30 approx.

DJ Kool Keith [2022-08-29] - Soulful Vibes [Soul Groove Radio]

DJ Kool Keith's latest Soulful Vibes show broadcast on Tue 29th Aug 2023 on Soul Groove Radio.

His Soulful Vibes show showcases new releases whether that be brand new music or reissues.

DJ Kool Keith has two shows per week, his Soulful Vibes show Tue 16:00-18:00 (BST/UK Time) on Soul Groove Radio and Thu 21:00-2300 (BST/UK Time) Soul Music Radio.

All DJ Kool Keith podcast are available to listen/download from Podomatic.

Playlist:

Artist	Title
Danny Kane, Princess Freesia	I Love The Way You Do (Opolopo Vocal Remix)
Stacy Kidd	Who Can I Run To (Main Mix)
HP Vince & PD	Love So Good
Duke Dulwich, Joshua Pathon	Move (Boogie Mix)
Mr Maph	Romeo & Juliet
Zan Abeyratne	No Secret
Magnolia feat. Mani Hoffman & Million Miles	Believe In L
Saucy Lady	Baby Tell Me Why (Change Request Dreamix)
Kamomille	My Style's So Fly
Kamomille	Easy
The Family's Jam feat. RZN	You In Love
The Family's Jam feat. Djade	Love Come Around
Jolie Davenport	About It
Sugar Rainbow	I Feel So Strong
Energy Exchange Ensemble feat. Allysha Joy	Brighter Star
Zaneta Grant	Vibin' Out
Makeda	Come Over
Fat Larry's Band	Can't Keep My Hands To Myself
The Motet	Natural Light
Hope Winter	Golden
Deja Bowens	Got It
Nva	What I Want
Lamone feat. William Prince	Strive
MasterFonk feat. Howard Johnson	Tell Me (Original Version)
Grace Weber	Do4Me
A.S.K.	Rewind
Shaé Universe	Passenger Princess
TC Cotton	Lose Control
Tanya Nolan	Let's Celebrate
Dalona	In Love With A Leo
KeKe Wyatt	Water Into Wine
Regi Myrix feat. Lamar Kelsey	Make Me Fall
Carlin Taylor	Good Love
Cardell	Do What I Gotta Do
Autumn LaBella feat. Drew Keys	Spirits In Rhythm (Go-Go Version)
Victoria Monét	Goodbye

Tuesday, 29 August 2023

Whatnauts [1973] - Instigating (Trouble Making Fool) / I Can't Stand To See You Cry [GSF #2897]

Another slow week for new releases so lets dig out some oldies.

A recent remake of The Moments & Whatnauts biggest UK hit "Girls" by Omar feat. Joss Stone, Morgan Munroe and SANITY, reminded us of this, perhaps, little known gem on GSF from 1973 a year earlier.

The relatively short-lived The New York label produced some recordings now regarded as classics, not least the highly sought after album by The Skull Snaps.

The A side, "Instigating (Trouble Making Fool)", is a smooth modern soul/crossover tune written by George Kerr, whilst the flip, "I Can't Stand To See You Cry", is a sweet soul ballad written by the Pointdexter brothers.

A great double sider which can easily be picked up for under a fiver!

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul/Crossover // Sweet Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	GSF
Cat No:	2897
Date:	1973
Key/BPM:	6B/117 / 10A/67
Price:	£1