Kia Jena (Nikkia Lyons) from the DMV (Clinton, MA) debuted in Jul 2020 with a single "No More Talk" (feat. Chef E) and followed it in Jul '22 with her second "Tell Me". In the interim she featured on a couple of BDX's singles in 2020-21
Her third, and best, single "Knew It" is out today (21 Mar '23).
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A new release on 20 Mar '23 from Elsie "Walk With You" that only appears to be for sale via Amazon as I can't find it on any
of the other platforms including Spotify until today.
Needless to say I can't find any information or other material from her
although there is an artist with the same name but doesn't sound like the
same artist.
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The third single pre-released from the forthcoming (31 Mar '23) album "Leather Blvd." by B. Cool-Aid, Pink Siifu & Ahwlee is "soundgood". It has been bundled with the other two and released on 7 Mar
'23.
It appears to be their third album since their first in 2017.
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A compilation only track "Still in Love with You" from George Benson is
currently getting radio airplay all of a sudden. It was released on a
compilation "Love Songs & More" in June 2020.
The compilation was put out by George Wallert who is a producer and produced Benson's 1993 album "Love Remembers", so perhaps this is a song that didn't make it to the album?
The compilation includes songs sung by Dionne Warwick, O.C. Smith, Chuck Jackson, Cuba Gooding amongst others. He seems to have worked quite closely with O.C. Smith, writing and producing much of his 80s material including one of his favourites in rare soul circles, "What'cha Gonna Do" / "Nothing But The Best".
It's George Benson's 80th birthday today so we will also direct you to "The George Benson Megamix" done by Alan Coulthard for DMC in 1983 with a mix of his 70s/80s
classics.
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We are very pleased to see a track we posted over a week ago from J-Summa getting
plaudits and airplay as we provided it to a select few DJs to plug with
approval from the artist's rep. It also featured on the UK Soul Chart Breakers
show last week. Some comments were made regarding the guitar solo around
2:45 mins so we have commissioned an edit removing the 30 second guitar solo making it
a little more 'soul friendly' as we know some of you guys don't like guitar
solos! Thanks to Phil Ward for the edit.
Being a guitarist, I'm sure J-Summa is not entirely delighted with the edit but if it gets him airplay that he otherwise wouldn't, then that must surely be a good thing?
It is the debut single from Jamaican
singer, songwriter, guitarist Gawaine 'J-SUMMA' Campbell, "Heaven and Home", which is 'proper' old school soul, so it's no big surprise to learn that
he cites his influences as the likes on Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Bobby Womack and Curtis
Mayfield as well as fellow Jamaicans Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff, so he is
our kinda guy!
He started singing aged 7 and picked up the guitar at 19 and states
that the first album he owned was The Mighty Clouds Of Joy and, when asked what
song he would have wished he had written, he replies Al Green's "Let's
Stay Together" but that honour, of course, goes to Green, Willie Mitchell
and Al Jackson.
His debut single has been a while in the making after meeting producer,
and now his manager, Rayan ‘Rocky’ Russell in 2016. In 2018 he featured
on a track on a compilation celebrating Red Stripe's 100th anniversary
"Journey With Stripe" which is a bit of poppy affair reminiscent of
CeeLo Green titled "Keeping It Up".
We found a live video performance of the song from Oct '22 billed as
J-Summa & The Outlawz who are J-Summa, Rocky and, presumably,
Clifton Dillon, the song's other writer.
A 9:30 version of the song also features on their Soundcloud channel from three years ago along with five other songs (which sound
like live takes) billed as Amanda's Birthday Rehearsals so perhaps
recordings of rehearsals for a live show?
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Posted yesterday from promo which stated that it was due for release on 23
Mar but has appeared a day early today, so is now available on digital
platforms.
Jalen Ngonda made a noise with his first two two singles for Daptone at the
tail end of 2022 with "Just Like You Used To" (7 Sep) and "What A Difference She Made" (11 Oct) which were also paired on a vinyl release.
The good news is that he has a Daptone debut album "Come Around And Love Me" being released on 9 Aug '23 which will include both
singles. That's quite a way off yet, so to give us another taste, a
third track from it, "If You Don't Want My Love", is due out on Thursday (23 Mar '23).
A native of Wheaton, Maryland, Jalen Ngonda is now based in London via Liverpool where he relocated to in
2014 to study music at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing
Arts. He was credited as Top Emerging Solo Artist at
the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2018 and has released round seven singles
and an EP since 2016.
The new single is a sure-fire winner for lovers of 'proper' retro soul
as Jalen glides soulfully through this song with Motown roots and a
lush string arrangement. With all three tracks released so far, the
album will be highly anticipated and, with the album being six months
away, I'm sure we will be treated to others before its release, not
least to pair it with this one for a vinyl release?
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The latest reissue from Expansions consists of two sides from the 80s by Charles Earland.
The top side is the single version of the title track from his 1980 album "Coming To You Live" which was his first single following his only UK chart success with "Let The Music Play" in 1978. The female lead vocal is uncredited but the album lists backing vocalists as Debbie McDuffie, Hilda Harris, Yolanda McCullough (Ullanda McCullough) and Yvonne Lewis. There only sounds like one voice to my ears (unless their harmonies are so tight) so if I had to guess it would be Ullanda McCullough who released three soul albums of her own between 1979-82. She also sang background vocals for Ashford & Simpson, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones amongst others. Musicians on the track include Marcus Miller (bass), Doc Powell (guitar) with rhythm and horns arranged by Tom Washington aka Tom Tom.
It is flipped with another album title track, "Street Themes" (1983) which, until now, has remained an album only track. It's an instrumental
Earland was from Philadelphia and learned to play saxophone at an early age playing with Jimmy McGriff aged 17. He formed his first group in 1960 and released his first single in 1964 as Charlie Earland, Jr. And His Band. He then learned to play the organ and joined Lou Donaldson for a couple of years at the end of the 60s.
Although Discogs lists his first solo album as "Black Talk!" in 1970, he had released two albums prior to that as Charlie Earland Trio, "Boss Organ" (Choice 1969 but recorded in 1966) and "Soul Crib" (Choice 1969).
Earland died of heart failure in Dec 1999 aged 58.
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It has been reported on
Soul Source in the last hour that another well known and respected figure on the Northern
Soul scene, Chris King, has passed away this morning. The sad news was
relayed by his wife. Tributes are pouring onto his
facebook page.
Chris was a DJ and promoter from Nottingham who also released music
under the name K.W.S. (Chris King and Winston "Winnie" Williams, and vocalist Delroy St. Joseph) in the 90s. They had a UK #1 pop chart hit with a cover of
K.C. & The Sunshine Band's "Please Don't Go" followed by another Top 10 hit (#8) with a cover of George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby" both
in 1992. The group went on to have another three Top 40 hits and two
in Top 60, all dance covers of previous hits.
I believe Chris was 66 as,at his 40th Birthday at Bretby All-nighter in Nov 1996, an
unreleased record he discovered by Marvin Gaye, "This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (Its Killing
Me)", was pressed up on a 7" and given away.
Chris gained access to the Motown vaults in the early 90s and
was responsible for unearthing a batch of unreleased Motown
recordings many making their way to CD compilations and vinyl for the
first time.
One of his proudest moments must have been appearing live on
Top Of The Pops in 1992 with the #1 hit "Please Don't Go" (Chris
is on right side, keyboards, best viewed @ 2:06).
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