Soul Strutter: 03/24/23

Friday, 24 March 2023

Natasha Watts [2023] - Music Is My Life [Self Released] OUT TODAY

A reminder that the new album from Natasha Watts "Music Is My Life" is out today, exclusively from Natasha Watts Music website. No sound files have been posted but I can assure you, having heard the full album, that you will not be disappointed. "Brighter Days" was sent on promo on 14 Feb which has been burning up the airwaves.

Only a further two tracks have being distributed to promote the album "I Do, I Did, I'm Done" and "Right The Wrong" which are shared with you below

The album format is a unique one, a usb stick within a cassette cover which are certain to be collector's items of the future as I, for one, have never seen this before.

The new album is Natasha's fourth studio album. Her first eponymous album was released in 2014 on Cool Million's Sedsoul followed by her second "2nd Time Around" in 2016 for the label. Then came her third, self released, "The Next Chapter" in 2018 in addition to a "Best Of" (2018) and "Meets A Hundred Birds Orchestra" (2019).

To help launch the album, Natasha has a series of UK dates lined up with, no doubt, more dates to be added. Tickets can be booked via Natasha Watts Music website.

25 Mar - Cardigan Theatre, Mwldan

02 Apr - The Haymarket, Basingstoke

07 Apr - Bush Hall, London

08 Apr - Hare And Hounds, Birmingham

09 Apr - Clarendon Royal Hotel, Gravesend

10 Apr - The Apex, Bury St Edmunds

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

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

Brighter Days

I Do, I Did, I'm Done

Right The Wrong

Details

Rating:	8.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Album Tracks
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/03/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£20

Frederick Knight [2023] - You've Never Really Lived / How, When Or Where [Soul4Real #S4R28]

The second 7" vinyl release from Soul4Real is from Birmingham, AL, singer/songwriter Frederick Knight. As a recording artist, Knight had a modest career and will be best known, or perhaps only known, for "Ive Been Lonely For So Long" on Stax which peaked at #8 R&B and crossed over to #27 Hot 100 and also made it to #22 UK pop chart in 1972. The song, written by Knight's wife, Posie, and Jerry Weaver, was actually recorded a year before his hit version by Rita & The Soulettes which was a reggae version which isn't surprising when you learn that Rita is Rita Marley, the wife of Bob.

Only two more of Knight's solo efforts made it into the R&B chart, the excellent "I Betcha Didn't Know That" (also recorded by Ben E. King) in 1975 and his version of "The Old Songs" which was a pop hit for Barry Manilow in 1981. He did of course release much more material, around 20 plus singles and four albums.

He is more celebrated as a songwriter and wrote Anita Ward's #1 worldwide disco hit "Ring My Bell" in 1979. When Stax folded in 1975, Knight set up his own label, Juana, whose main artists were The Controllers, Anita Ward, Tommy Tate, CL Blast and Knight himself.

Curiously, we mentioned Mary Gresham in the previous post for the other Soul4Real release by Annette Snell as she co-wrote "Promises Should Never Be Broken" recorded by Snell with her brother Jimmy Gresham. She also recorded a song with the same title i.e. "You've Never Really Lived" but it's a different song. The song was previously issued on a CD compilation "Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill, Vol. 1" in 2006

The flip side is "How, When Or Where" a previously unreleased song until released on the second volume of "Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill, Vol. 2" also in 2006.

Thanks for the corrections left in comment by s13.

The single is available to pre-order via Paypal for release on 14 Apr '23

€15 + postage (1-5 copies) €3 Spain, €6.90 UK & Europe €10.45 USA & rest of the world

soul4realrecordlabel@gmail.com

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

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Southern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul4Real
Cat No:	S4R28
Date:	14/04/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	€15

Annette Snell [2023] - I Think I´m Falling In Love / Make You Feel Love Again / This Time We're Really Through [Soul4Real #S4R27]

One that has been leaked for airplay in the last couple of weeks (but Soul4Real maestro Alex Subinas has kept under wraps as to who the artist was) has been announced today. It consists of three previously unreleased 70s songs by Annette Snell: "I Think I'm Falling In Love", "Make You Feel Love Again" and "This Time We're Really Through"

Annetta Snell (22 Mar 1945 - 4 Apr 1977) was born Sandersville, GA, but moved to Orlando, FL, where she joined a girl quartet, The Mar-Vells who released two singles in 1964. Both singles got multiple releases i.e. the first on Angie and then Butane and their second on Reo and Yorey. They also worked, uncredited, on backing sessions for other artists in Miami. In 1965 they renamed themselves The Fabulettes releasing their first single under the name on Monument in Oct 1965, the flip side of which, "The Bigger They Are (The Harder They Fall)", became a big tune on the Northern Soul scene many years later. They released a further four singles, two for Sound Stage 7, one each on Access and Kangis (which was reissued a year later in 1971 on Phil-L.A. of Soul). However, Snell left the group in 1968, before the last two singles were released, to pursue a solo career.

Paul Kelly, a Miami native who she had met years earlier with The Mar-Vels, took her with him to New York in 1968 to demo some songs he had written. This resulted in her first solo recording as Annetta on Love Hill in 1970 ("Since There's No More Of You"/ "Get A Kelly Way Boy") which was later also released by Sue label owner Juggy Murray Jones on Juggy.

Kelly later introduced her to Nashville based record producer and music publisher Buddy Killen who founded Dial Records in 1961, primarily as a vehicle to release material by Joe Tex, the label Kelly was also signed to at the time. Killen is also credited as discovering one Dolly Parton. Snell released four singles on Dial between 1973-74 all written by Kelly (two co-written with Killen) and produced by Killen. The first, "I'll Be Your Fool Once More", failed to register, but the last three ("You Oughta Be Here With Me" (#19, 1973), "Get Your Thing Together" (#44, 1974) and "Just as Hooked As I've Been" (#71, 1974)) all entered the R&B chart but didn't crossover.

Killen brokered a deal with his distributor Epic to release some material. Snell was to record an album at Muscle Shoals and cut one single "It's All Over Now" / "Promises Should Never be Broken". She returned for another session produced by Jimmy Johnson and Roger Hawkins which produced another five tracks. When returning home on a flight to Atlanta, GA, the Southern Airways Flight 242 went down in New Hope, GA, during a severe thunderstorm on 4 Apr 1977 killing both pilots and 61 passengers which included Ms Snell.

I have read reports that it was claimed that Snell took the master tapes with her on the flight and that they were destroyed forever, however, that report must have been false as three tracks, co-written by pre-eminent songwriters including George Jackson and Philip Mitchell, have been languishing in the vaults for over forty years, until now as they are being released for the first time. I wonder if the other two are in the pipeline for a future release, as listening to these three along with the two released on Epic, it sounds like it could have potentially been a hit album!

It has also been stated that "Promises Should Never Be Broken" is unreleased which is also false as I have a copy, originally bought for the A side "It's All Over Now" (perhaps released later?). Of interest to some is that the song was co-written by Mary Gresham ("Voice From The Shadows" CD and sought after single " I'll Never Let You Walk Alone") and her brother Jimmy.

The single is available to pre-order via Paypal for release on 14 Apr '23

€15 + postage (1-5 copies) €3 Spain, €6.90 UK & Europe €10.45 USA & rest of the world

soul4realrecordlabel@gmail.com

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

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Southern Soul
Format:	Single / Previously Unreleased
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul4Real
Cat No:	S4R27
Date:	14/04/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	€15

Sipprell [2023] - Unravel [Self Released]

South London's singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (piano, guitar and violin) and producer Nicola Sipprell is somewhat a veteran in neo soul terms having debuted in Nov 2015 with an EP "Letter D". She now has three EPs and ten singles to her name. In addition she has providing backing vocals for Ed Sheeran at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2022.

Her first single of 2023 "Unravel" is released today

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:	8.1
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/03/2023
Key/BPM:	1B/73
Price:	£1

Terri Walker [2023] - I'm not the one [Wings of a hummingbird records]

The second single from Terri Walker's forthcoming album "A Love Story", due on 14 Apr '23, is "I'm not the one" is out today which follows the first, "Finally over you", from three weeks ago (3 Mar).

Terri Walker (Chanelle Gstettenbauer) was born in Wimbledon, London, but moved to Germany as a child returning to London later. She started to study opera aged 15 and began singing professionally at 18, initially singing with garage artists.

She recorded her debut album "Untitled" for Def Soul (part of Def Jam) in 2003 and has since released a further three albums, "L.O.V.E" (2005), "I Am" (2006), "Entitled" (2015) and "Breakout" (2019).

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:	Wings of a hummingbird records
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/03/2023
Key/BPM:	9A/94
Price:	£1

Duchess [2023] - All In Again [Venice Music]

Duchess is a childhood nickname used by Plumstead, South London, singer Luisa Phillips as her stage name. She debuted in 2019 with a single "Why Can't We?" which she later released on her debut EP "Early Days" in March 2020.

Her new single is "All In Again" released today.

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:	Venice Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/03/2023
Key/BPM:	3B/80
Price:	£1