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Monday 16 January 2023

Saint Jaimz [2023] - Bonafide [Household Name Entertainment]


Out this Friday (20 Jan '23) is the new single "Bonafide" from the illustrious Saint Jainz

It follows a 'Refix' of "She's My Monday" and Popz featuring Kaleo Ross "Technology" released at the tail end of 2022 and not forgetting four tracks from an, as yet, unreleased EP "The RNB Remedy" which videos for were posted in Oct '22.

Also check out more previous material from Saint Jaimz.

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: 8.2
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: New Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Household Name Entertainment
Cat No: None
Date: 20/01/2023
Key/BPM: N/A
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


Claire Davis [2023] - Intuiton [LRK Records]


The latest, and third single, from Toronto's Claire Davis on LRK Records is due a week on Friday, on 27 Jan 2023.  

It's a retro, mid-tempo, song about trusting your gut titled "Intuition" and I think is my favourite from her to date. The song is a collaborative effort with her writing partner Scott McCannell who gave her the track  to compose melody and lyrics for which she says: 

"I'm a big proponent of following your gut and not playing games with people. My theory is, you always know what the right move is but we can get in our own way by overthinking. Sometimes in relationships we’re scared to say what we feel out of fear, but we always have the answers within us".

The soulful background vocals, performed by Aphrose, Tegan Michelle Gordon and Chynna Lewis, were arranged by another trusted collaborator La-Nai Gabriel. Sounds like a good name for a band The Collaborators!

The third single follows "Long Gone" / "Times Have Changed"  from last year and "Thrive " / "Playground" from 2021 and in between she featured with The HP's on their single "Hope To See You Again" / "Better Things" all released on LRK Records digitally and on vinyl (which are more than likely now sold out so don't sleep on this on if/when it comes out on vinyl).

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

FacebookTwitterInstagramOfficial WebsiteAmazonSpotifyDeezerBandCampYouTube Channel
Details
Rating: 8.5
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Retro Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: LRK Records
Cat No: None
Date: 27/01/2023
Key/BPM: 3B/111
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


Roger Williams [2023-01-15] - The Soulsorts Sunday Soul Collection [Starpoint Radio]


A year since he hung up his microphone, Roger Soulsorts Williams is back with a new 'live' show in his old regular Sunday night slot 22:00-24:00 GMT on Starpoint Radio.

However, he hasn't been AWOL, as throughout the year has produced many podcasts, all posted here which you can check out via the Soulsorts drop down box on the menu.

The first show looks back at tunes from 2022 with an odd new one thrown in for good measure.

It looks like we'll be having a reshuffle of radio show podcasts as DJ Kool Keith's Sunday Soulful Vibes show is being moved to Tuesday as of next week which fits in nicely now that Mr. Williams is back on board.

Roger's show is broadcast every Sunday between 22:00-24:00 (GMT) on Starpoint Radio playing his selection of the best new soul and jazz releases.

All podcasts are available from PodomaticMixcloud and Amazon
Current show PodomaticMixcloudAmazon


Playlist

Jazzanova - Lost My Love
Val B. King feat. Frank McComb - So Many Ways Than One
Najee feat. Frank McComb - Modern Lovers
Frank McComb - Her Heart's In His Hand
Teri Tobin - The One
Yvonne Gage - A Song Of Love
Khari Cabral & Jiva feat. Lindsey Webster - Heaven's Design
Lindsey Webster feat. Nicholas Payton - I'm OK
Kim Tibbs - Stargazing
Edgar deLeon feat. Tony Lindsay - Wanna Love You
Lena Byrd Miles - I Don't Want It
Royalty Duo - Bada Ba Ba (Stay Together)
TanQueray Hayward - You Lied
Rockie Robbins - You And Me
Alton McClain & Destiny - Making Room For Love
Cornell CC Carter - Where Do We Go (Boogie Back Remix)
Split Evolution - Bedroom Eyes
Leroy Allen - Gamble With My Love
Frank McComb - Instead
Frank McComb - We Were Made For Us
Dwight Coley - Better Off Alone
Gavin Holligan - Same Old Story
Carmichael Musiclover - Let's Make A Movie
Marcy Brown feat. May Rose - After The Rain
Tabitha King - Unconditionally (I'm Gonna Make It)
Darry Anders Agapesoul feat. Zoe Ellis - Breathless

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


Sade - A Profile


Sade (Helen Folasade Adu) was born in Ibadan, Nigeria on 16 Jan 1959 so will therefore be celebrating her 64th birthday  today. She is one of the most successful British female singers in history even though she has only released six studio albums since 1984. In 2002 she was honoured by the Queen receiving an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) and in 2017 a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) which is only one step away from a knighthood were she would be referred to as Dame.
Sade was raised in Colchester (UK) by here grandparents reuniting with her mother when she was 11. At the age of 18 she moved to London to attend art school after which she launched a career as a fashion designer and model before joining a Latin soul band called Pride. 

In 1982 she formed a breakaway band Sade (initially named Folasade and then shortened) with former Pride members Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman and Paul Anthony Cook (who was later replaced by Andrew Hale). They debuted at Ronnie Scott's Club in Dec 1982. Sade was initially signed to Epic Records in 1983 as a solo artist but the band joined her later and they released a debut album "Diamond Life" the same year which is the best selling debut album by a British female artist reaching #2 on the album chart and selling 1.2m copies in the UK alone and in excess of 4m in the US. It won a Brit Award for Best British album in 1985. Three albums followed "Promise" (1984) (which fared better on the chart reaching #1 for which the group won a Grammy for as Best New Artist) , "Stronger Than Pride" (1988) and "Love Deluxe" (1992) and then went on an eight year hiatus. The next album "Lovers Rock" appeared in 2000 followed by another break of ten years until the last album, to date (as it is rumoured that an new album is in the pipeline) "Soldier of Love" in 2010. Since then she has only released two songs, both for soundtracks.

Die-hard soul enthusiasts may not regard her as a bonafide 'soul' singer. The BBC describe her songwriting as "sufficiently soulful and jazzy yet poppy, funky yet easy listening, to appeal to fans of all those genres" [1]. However, her music seems to have certainly influenced a new generation of neo soul artists.

As always, rather than regurgitate all the tried and tested songs, the playlist below includes some of her lesser know songs, mainly album only tracks. Videos for all her singles are available on her YouTube Channel and to give you a taste we've included below videos for the first hit single "You're Love Is King" and also the 1993 single "Kiss Of Life" covered beautifully last year by Beth Griffith-Manley on Blair Bryant's "Red Tiger"  album.

Album Discography

All albums have gone Gold (500k sales) or Platinum (1m sales) with the first quadruple and second double Platinum.

1984 - Diamond Life
1985 - Promise
1988 - Stronger Than Pride
1992 - Love Deluxe
2000 - Lovers Rock
2002 - Lovers Live
2010 - Soldier of Love
2012 - Bring Me Home | Live 2011


Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


Split Evolution Band [2023] - Bedroom Eyes / Let Me Do It [Cannonball #CBLL040] Forthcoming 7"


Split Evolution were from Chicago and released two singles. The first "Jumpstreet" (vocal/instrumental) on Wasp in 1978 (although copyright on the label states 1974 whilst publishing states 1978) followed by "If Only You Would Say (I Love You)" (vocal/instrumental) on Jumpstreet in 1984 as The Three Phases Of Evolution. Both pretty hard records to find and not even listed on 45Cat but appear to have been reissued by Magnetic Recordings in 2014 (both included below). Interestingly, on the label for the latter it states that it is from the LP "Jumsptreet" so perhaps an album was in the pipeline? They recorded a third single which only made it to a test pressing as the full press was cancelled. 

The unreleased third single "Bedroom Eyes" / "Let Me Do It" is the one being released in March by Canonnball. The record was found by rare soul DJ Dave Thorley (Stafford Top Of The World all-nighter DJ amongst many others) on a record hunting trip to the States in the early noughties. He met the ex-manager of the group and acquired the remaining test pressing and has been playing it in his sets ever since. Cannonball maestro Alberto Zanini has always loved the record and describes it as 'the DEFINITIVE love song'. He met Dave at his home in Berlin and negotiated its release on his label to celebrate the label's 8th anniversary this year.

It is due for release in March and pre-orders are being take now for a very limited pressing, so get your orders in now if you don't want to miss out ... as you know what will happen to the price! A digital copy is included with your order but I don't believe that it will be available as a digital download without purchasing the vinyl.

At present only a sample of "Bedroom Eyes" is available to listen to.


Details
Rating: 8.6
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Modern Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: Cannonball
Cat No: CBLL040
Date: 03/2023
Key/BPM: N/A
Price: £20 plus postage
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


R.I.P. - Fred 'Sonny' Baker (The Dynamics)


January 2023 continues to bring more sad news of yet another departing soul brother. The sole remaining member of 60s/70s Detroit group The Dynamics, Fred 'Sonny' Baker, has died not even a fortnight after member George White passed on 6 Jan.

As many of The Dynamics recordings where featured in the George White tribute, this post will focus on the writing of Sonny Baker.
Blues & Soul magazine columnist Dave Godin is credited with coming up with the term Deep Soul (as he did with Northern Soul) and he unearthed "You Make Me Feel Good" (below) on one of his several "Deep Soul Treasures" compilations. In fact it was on Volume 4 which was thought would be his last as it was released in 2004 the year he died, but another was posthumously released resulting in five volumes in total.

It's a previously unreleased song by Lawrence & Jaibi, Lawrence being singer/songwriter/producer Larry Banks and his wife Jaibi (Joan Carol Pulliam). They only released one single as a duo in 1968 on RCA so, presumably, this was from the same sessions that was left in the can until Dave featured it on the compilation. It was released on a 7" by Sean Hampsey's Diggin' Deep in June 2019 as the flip to Jaibi's "It' Was Like A Nightmare", another previously unreleased song. Larry Banks was previously married to Bessie Banks who released "Go Now" (co-written by Larry with Milton Bennet) which Godin championed and was later covered by The Moody Blues who had a UK #1 pop hit with it in 1964 which hampered the sales of Banks' original.

That's all well and good, I hear you say, but what's it got to do with Fred Baker, well he co-wrote the song with Dynamics member Zerben Hicks. The Dynamics recorded it as the B side to their second, and last, single on RCA Victor in 1967 on which the A side was credited to Zerben R. Hicks & The Dynamics.

Baker and Hicks are credited alongside Jack Ashford on The Hesitations' "That's What Love Is" from their "Soul Superman" album. Northern Soul aficionados will know that the backing track is the same as Eddie Parker's classic "I'm Gone". Ashford was credited alongside Lorraine Chandler (as Ermastine Lewis) on Parker's "I'm Gone", so I assume that Baker and Hicks wrote the new lyrics replacing Chandler (Lewis) on credits. Baker is also credited on another track on the album, "I'll Be Right There", co-written with Rare Earth member Ray Monette. Again, Northern Soulies will be aware of Monette as he was one half of blue-eyed duo Michael & Raymond with Mike Raymond who's RCA Victor recording "Man Without  A Woman" was a big tune and featured on the RCA compilation "Jumping At The Go Go" compiled by Wigan Casino's Richard Searling in 1976. Mike Raymond later became an actor using the name Michael Champion appearing in many US TV series. Along with Monette, he formed a band Scorpion which also included Funk Brother Bob 'Babbit' and also played on Meat Loaf's first album "Stoney & Meatloaf" on Motown's MoWest imprint in 1971.

Hicks and Baker wrote several of songs recorded by Carol Anderson on Mid-Town in 1972 "Holding On" / "You Boy" and "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dog" as well as a one-off on Explosion "Master Plan (I Love You, I Do)" which is a superb deep cut. All four songs appear on a 2004 Grapevine compilation "Sad Girl: The Legacy Of Detroit's Lost Soul Sister".


Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


Martin Luther King Day 2023


To celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, here are two of his famous speeches, the "I Have A Dream" speech  28 Aug 1963 and his final speech "I Have Been To the Mountaintop" on 3 Apr 1968.

He was born 15 Jan 1929 and was just 39 years old when shot dead the following day at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis on 4 Apr 1968.

Beginning in 1971 some states honoured his birthday and in 1983 President Ronald Regan made it a federal holiday with George W. Bush in 1992 designating it to be observed on the third Monday of January each year.


Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved