Soul Strutter: 05/08/23

Monday, 8 May 2023

Aphrose [2023] - Good Love [LRK Records] PROMO

LRK Records continue to trail blaze this year. Hot on the heels of Claire Davis' excellent debut solo album "Get It Right" on 21 Apr '23 (which is gaining lots of plaudits) they have announced their latest signing, Toronto based Aphrose (Joanna Deborah Mohammed).

They will be releasing her new single "Good Love" on 19 May which is from a forthcoming, sophomore, neo soul album due later this year. Her first album was "Element" in 2019. Based on her first album and the new single (as well as previous singles) the new album is shaping up to be a must have.

The song was written by Aphrose with producer trio SafeSpaceship (Scott McCannell, Chino DeVilla and Ben Macdonald) who also performed on the recording along with another Toronto artist Kyla Charter.

Alphrose tells us that "'Good Love' is about accepting the love that we so often deny ourselves because we feel undeserving. When the world feels out of control, there's a safe space where you can go to where you feel seen, understood and accepted; that's the 'Good Love' I'm talking about".

The LRK connection is Claire Davis, also from Toronto, as Aphrose sang harmony backing vocals on her current album "Get It Right". In addition, she has provided BGVs for the likes of Daniel Caesar, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Jessie Reyez, and Charlotte Day Wilson and toured with Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida.

Aphrose lived many a blog visitor's dream as her Trinidadian parents owned a record store in the city's West End. She grew up listening to Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

The single is available to pre-order now and will be available digitally and on vinyl.

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Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital / 7 " Vinyl
Label:	LRK Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	19/05/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£13

Devon Gilfillian [2020] - What's Going On [UMG Recordings] (Full Album)

We've had one the best albums of the year (decade?) in October London's "The Rebirth of Marvin" and have just stumbled across an album from Oct 2020 by Devon Gilfillian (who has a new album "Love You Anyway" that is getting airplay for "The Recipe") which we missed at the time of release. Although we did note it in a mini version excursion in Nov 2020 but didn't post the full album even though it did enter the UK Soul Chart at the time. So in case you also missed it here it is.

It's basically a track by track cover of Marvin Gaye's 1971 seminal "What's Going On" album but before you roll your eyes, give it a listen as it's very good. Available digitally and on vinyl.

Gilfillian is originally from Morton, PA, now based in Nashville, TN, and has a degree in Psychology. He joined a blues cover band in 2013 and then released a debut self-titled EP in 2016. "What's Going On" is his second album which followed another in 2020 "Black Hole Rainbow" with his current album "Love You Anyway" being his third.

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Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul / Cover Versions
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	UMG Recordings
Cat No:	None
Date:	22/10/2023
Price:	£8.91

Joanna Cooke feat. Mark Edwards [2023] - How Deep Is Your Love [Self Released]

We are guilty of dismissing this song when released last Friday (28 May '23) with so many releases to plough through and didn't give it a second glance thinking it was 'just a Bee Gees cover'. However, listening again properly and disregarding that it's Bee Gees cover, we apologise to Joanna for neglecting it.

It's her first ever release of a cover song and was recorded live in one take with a band brought together to perform two shows in Brighton. They went into the session at Chappell Studios, Sussex, on a hot summer's day following the shows to record the song and it just flowed as if they had been playing together for years after just two shows together.

The recording was arranged and produced by Mark Edwards.

Joanna featured here several times last year starting with "Good Lover" in Jan and then we put her in contact with DSG for the promotion of her next release, the excellent "Like A Lover", which was very well received. She followed that with "Caught Up" and has released a further four singles prior to her latest, which is her second this year following "No More".

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Details

Rating:	7.9
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Blue-Eyed / Cover Version
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	28/04/2023
Key/BPM:	9A/90
Price:	£1

Alicia Keys feat. Queen Charlotte's Global Orchestra [2023] - If I Ain't Got You (Orchestral Version) [Netflix/Sony]

An orchestral version of one of Alicia Keys' best songs "If I Ain't Got You" (2003) featuring a 74 piece Queen Charlotte's Global Orchestra made up of entirely black women to celebrate the song's 20th anniversary.

It's taken from "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" which premiered on Netflix on Thursday (4 May). It's a spinoff series of "Bridgerton" and is based around Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III (the mad king) in the Regency period (1979-1837). George III reigned during, and was largely responsible for, the American Revolution.

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

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Reimagined
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Sony
Cat No:	None
Date:	03/05/2023
Key/BPM:	9B/85
Price:	£1