Saturday, 14 January 2023

R.I.P. - Keith Beaton (Blue Magic) (30 Jul 1950- 14 Jan 2023)


January is a notorious month for deaths, but this year already we have had so many, and sadly we bring news of yet another. Keith 'Duke' Beaton, a founding member of Blue Magic, has died aged 72. Another member Richard Pratt died just last year on 1 March 2022.

The sad news was broken by group co-founder Ted Mills on his facebook page earlier today and tributes have been pouring in.
Blue Magic were from Philadelphia and were formed in 1972 consisting of Ted Mills, Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt. Mills was with a group called The Toppicks and the other four members where originally in a group known as Shades Of Soul and essentially the execs at WMOT decided to replace the existing Toppicks with Mills and Shades Of Soul and renamed the group Blue Magic. 

They hit the R&B charts with their first three singles "Spell" (#30), "Look Me Up" (#36) and "Stop To Start" (#14) but their most notable hit was "Sideshow" in 1974 which topped the R&B chart and also made it to #8 on Billboard Hot 100, all were produced by Norman Harris and backed by MFSB. It didn't register in the UK and they had to wait until 1984 before scratching the chart with an entry at #89 with "Romeo And Juliet". Two other songs made it onto the Hot 100 "Stop To Start", "Three Ring Circus" with "Grateful" just bubbling outside at #104. 
They have released nine studio albums between 1974-95, a live album with Margie Joseph and Major Harris in 1976 and their most recent album "Share A Dream" in 2020. 

By 1977, with the rise of Disco, their smooth sweet soul style was going out of fashion and in 1980 they disbanded when the Sawyer brothers left and soon afterwards so did Pratt. Mills and Beaton recruited new members and released "Magic#" in 1983 but by 1989 the original members got back together and released "From Out Of The Blue". 

In 1990 Mills was involved in a near fatal car accident and when he returned to music it was as a solo artist and he was replaced in the group by Rod Wayne (aka Roderick Bronaugh) who remained in the group until 2004 and died in 2016. 

During the noughties there were three variants of the group. Wendell Sawyer and Keith Beaton trademarked the name and both Vernon Sawyer and Richard Pratt also had their own versions of the group until Pratt died in March 2022.

Only last November we posted a Paul Simpson Philadelphia Re-edit Session for Blue Magic and fortunately posted up samples, as it was his first on a dedicated website. 

The group will be forever known for their biggest hit "Sideshow" in 1974.

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Celina Graves [2023] - Truth [Three 2 Go Music] (Full Album)


A debut album "Truth" from Celina Graves, released 5 Jan 2023. The only information found on the artist is that she's from San Diego, CA, and has released four singles (plus a remix of one) since Dec. 2020 and released a single in 2011. So I wonder what happened in the intervening years?

Two of her four singles feature on the album ("Westside" and "Changing Ways (Bet That)"). The two standouts are the single "Westside" along with "I Still Need Your Love".

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist. 

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Details
Rating: 7.8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: Album
Media: Digital
Label: Self Released
Cat No: None
Date: 05/01/2023
Price: £7.92
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Bey Bright [2023] - 365 Love (Can’t Stop) [Bright Vision Entertainment]


Hot on the heels of "Just A Little Bit" released on 2 Jan '23, Bey Bright returns with another single, "365 Love (Can’t Stop)", on 6 Jan.

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

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Details
Rating: 8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: New Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Bright Vision Entertainment
Cat No: None
Date: 06/01/2023
Key/BPM: 4A/70
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Tanqueray Hayward [2023] - You Lied [Self Released]


The 'Queen of Philadelphia", Tanqueray Hayward is back with a new single almost exactly a year after her last release on 21 Jan 2022 which was The Realm Remix of her track "Complicated" taken from her 2021 debut album "Definition Of A Woman".

Tanqueray's cancelled gig at the Jazz Cafe was rescheduled for May 2022 at the sold out Pizza Express.

The new single "You Lied" is a mellow ballad, reminiscent of 80s Quiet Storm and something that Natalie Cole may have recorded. It gets deeper as she weaves through and has an unnamed saxophonist in background who gets his moment upfront around 3:30 with a solo.

It's due out on Friday (20 Jan 2023) but has already been receiving airplay from promo.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist. 

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Details
Rating: 8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: New Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Self Released
Cat No: None
Date: 20/01/2023
Key/BPM: N/A
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Trad Ukiyo [2023] - Floating [Giant Drops Records] (Full EP)


A debut four track EP from four piece Melbourne outfit Trad Ukiyo, "Floating", was released last week (5 Jan '23). As far as I can tell they have only previously released one single "On Hold" which is included on the EP.

The standout track to these ears is "Mind Reader" (live video performance below).

The group was formed in 2019 and comprises of Gabrielle Di Mauro (vocals), Adriano Proscino (keys), Brandon Farrugia (bass) and Fergus Kuhar (drums) and blend soul, jazz, R&B and hip-hop.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist. 

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Details
Rating: 8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: EP
Media: Digital
Label: Giant Drops Records
Cat No: None
Date: 05/01/2023
Key/BPM: 1A/100
Price: £2.36
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Hank Bilal & Frank McComb [2022] - The Way You Look Tonight [Self Released]


An Oscar winning song "The Way You Look Tonight" written by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern in the 30s for a musical "Swing Time" starring Fred Astaire (who sang it to Ginger Rogers) has been recorded by Hank Bilal and features Frank McComb. Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, along with a host of others, have subsequently recorded it.

It was released back on 16 Sep 2022 and was the second single pre-released from an album "Beneath The Covers" (released on 30 Sep '22 which appears to be his fourth album since his first in 2015) but is getting another push by US promoters and hence is now currently getting UK airplay. 

Hank Bilal is a Columbia, SC, based Grammy nominated jazz trombonist and educator who has shared the stage with Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Gerald Albright, Christopher Williams, The Clark Sisters and many more. He was brought up on a staple of gospel and was in the church youth choir. As well as the trombone, he sings, plays piano and other brass instruments.

Frank McComb should need little introduction as his music has been consistently played since emerging in the early noughties. His sound is a cross between Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder and he first came to attention of UK modern soul audience via a bootleg of his "The Motown Sessions" CD recorded in 1995 which contained his take on Stevie's "Golden Lady" (another great track on the album is "Somebody Like Me"). It was later officially released as "The Truth Vol. 2" in 2006.  New music from Frank is always highly anticipated.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist. 

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Details
Rating: 8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Soul Jazz
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Self Released
Cat No: None
Date: 16/09/2022
Key/BPM: 4B/74
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved