Monday, 1 May 2023

Ruby Wilson / Queen Emily [2023] - Love Has Come / Throw Away Me [Jai Alai #JAR09]


There has been a lot of vinyl reissues this week which we tried to mop up yesterday but another two landed this morning from Alex Subina's Jai Alai imprint. The label is reissuing four songs by four different artists over two 45s.

The first pairing consists of tracks taken from two self titled Malaco albums. The A side, "Love Has Come", from Ruby Wilson's 1981 self-titled album along with "Throw Away Me" from Queen Emily's only album in 2010.

Ruby Wilson was born in Fort Worth, TX, but was based and performed in Memphis becoming known as "The Queen of Beale Street". She released a couple of singles on T.K.'s Glades imprint in the 70s and signed to Malaco in 1981 releasing her debut, eponymous, album A further three albums followed in the late 80s with three more appearing in the noughties. Ruby died in 2016.
 
Queen Emily David is another Texan, from Houston, and her solitary album was released as a result of being a semi-finalist of America’s Got Talent in 2008 at the age of 40. In 1999 she won a Sammy Davis Jr award but, as a single-mother, put her singing career on hold to bring up her two daughters. 

A year after America’s Got Talent, Malaco boss Tommy Couch Jr. called her out of the blue and offered her a contract without even meeting her. A digital 4-track EP titled "Sings" was released in the US, but her album was released by Malaco on CD in the UK in 2010 before the US which was eventually released in 2014. It includes a version of Frederick Knight's "I Betcha Didn’t Know That" and Bill Withers' "Use Me" but it is the George Jackson ballad "Throw Away Me" that has been chosen for release on 45.  Note: she sings "Throw Away Me" but the album 'incorrectly' labels the track "Throw Me Away". 

Available to pre-order now from Jai Alai for release on 14 May '23, but be quick as their recent releases sold out on pre-order within 24 hours!

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

Details
Rating: 8.6
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Southern Soul
Format: Single
Media: 7" Vinyl
Label: Jai Alai
Cat No: JAR09
Date: 14/05/2023
Key/BPM: 9B/94 / 6B/70
Price: €14
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

G.C. Cameron / The Green Brothers [2023] - Give Me Your Love / Your Love Lifted Me [Jai Alai #JAR10]


The second new release from Jai Alai is a pairing of the title track of G.C. Cameron's 1983 "Give Me Your Love" Malaco album (available on 45 for the first time) along with The Green Brothers "Your Love Lifted Me" taken from their 2009 CD "Soulsville".

We are all aware that George Curtis Cameron was the lead singer with The Spinners who were acquired by Motown via Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi label in 1963. However, when the group left Motown in 1971 Cameron decided to stay with the label, not least because he married Berry Gordy's sister Gwendolyn. He release five albums whilst at Motown between 1974-77 and then recorded "Give Me Your Love" for Malaco in 1983.

The Green Brothers were Robert L. (Bobby) and his younger brother Aaron (Al) Alexander Green from Fort Pierce, FL, who relocated to Royal Oak, MI in the mid 60s and joined the gospel group The Violinaires and later The Soul Superiors (Of Detroit Mich.) who released three singles in the late 60s/early 70s.

The brothers signed to Stax in 1974 and recorded several songs with the intention of a full album being released but only one single materialised on the Truth imprint as The Green Brothers. Stax, as we know, was in financial difficulty during this period and cheques received bounced signalling the end and the label folded in 1975.
 
They released just one more single with ex-Stax producer Don Davis on his Tortoise International label with a Ronnie McNeir penned song on the flip in 1977.

After that single, Al moved back to Florida whilst Bobby remained in Detroit. In 2009 their unreleased Stax recordings were enhanced with live strings and horns and released on CD as "Soulsville" by Loco Bop Records. Sadly by this time Al had passed away and Bobby also passed a few months ago. Jai Alai has selected the deep  "Your Love Lifted Me" from the set for release on 45 for the first time.

Available to pre-order now from Jai Alai for release on 14 May '23, but be quick as their recent releases sold out on pre-order within 24 hours!

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


Details
Rating: 8.5
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Modern Soul / Deep Soul
Format: Single
Media: 7" Vinyl
Label: Jai Alai
Cat No: JAR10
Date: 14/05/2023
Key/BPM: 11B/105 / 10B/64
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers [2023] - Never Gonna Give You Up (Radio Edit) [Diplomats Of Soul]


Dropped on Bandcamp last week is an edit of Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers' 1979 cover of Jerry Butler's "Never Gonna Give You Up". It was initially released on their Source album "Bustin' Loose" with the 5:43 album version being released as a single. The new Edit is 4:20.

The song is an evergreen written by Butler along with Gamble & Huff and has been covered many times including by Gene Chandler, Eddie Floyd, Shirley & The Shirelles, Isaac Hayes, Lyn Collins and Michael Henderson to name a few.

It's out on vinyl on Expansion's Diplomats of Soul imprint, we think as a Record Store Day release given the cat. no. is 7RSDDOS1.

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

Details
Rating: 8.7
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Modern Soul
Format: Single
Media: 7" Vinyl
Label: Self Released
Cat No: None
Date: 27/04/2023
Key/BPM: 8A/76
Price: £14.50
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

chlothegod [2023] - Bless Your Heart [EQT Recordings]


chlothegod (as in Chlo the God rather than Clothe God) is Chloe Chavis from Fayetteville, NC, who previously recorded using the name Chlo. 

She has released a new single "Bless Your Heart" which is bundled with her previous single "Camille" (3 Feb).

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: 8.1
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: Single
Media: Digital
Label: EQT Recordings
Cat No: None
Date: 26/04/2023
Key/BPM: 9A/92
Price: £1
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

bre. [2023] - bre. [Self Released] (Full EP)


With a name like bre. it's nigh impossible finding any information about the artist. Her full name is Breahna Pierce but that didn't uncover anything either. 

She released a debut, self-titled, EP on Friday which contains three of her previous singles from last year with the standout being "Ready" which was released as asingle on 14 Feb '22.

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: 7.8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Neo Soul
Format: EP
Media: Digital
Label: Self Released
Cat No: None
Date: 28/04/2023
Price: £5.94
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved