R.I.P. - Wendell Brown (1958 - 3 Aug 2023)

A man of big stature, not only physically standing at 6ft 5in and weighing in at 298 pounds, but also in the underground soul world, Wendell Brown (aka Wendell B) has died today. He was diagnosed with cancer last year but cause of death hasn't been confirmed.

His love affair with music began at a very young age making his introduction as a member of gospel group the Sensational Wonders aged 5. Ten years later he ventured into R&B which he kept secret from his mother. He formed a local high school group called The Dreams and another Visions. Over the next few year he learned the importance of stage presence. After two decades performing in groups he decided to go solo and left his native St Louis for Minneapolis and other cities before landing in Atlanta, GA, where his career began to take off.

His deep, silky smooth vocals, his idols included Barry White and Bobby Womack as well as Luther Vandross, and his music was the real deal.

His mission on his website was "My goal is to leave an indelible imprint on the business. You see, fans deserve the best and I intend to give them the best. With my music, I intend to reach hearts and homes everywhere, so until I take my last breath, nothing but the sound of music, love, keeping it real, and telling the truth, will represent the name Wendell B."

He launched his solo career with "Make It Good For Ya" as Wendell Brown in 1998 and went on to release nine albums in total between then and his last "Real Talk" in 2020.

Album Discography

1998 - Make It Good For Ya 

2003 - Good Times

2007 - Save A Little Room for Me: I’m Coming Home for Christmas.

2008 - Time to Relax: Love, Life, & Relationships

2010 - Back Ta Bid’ness

2010 - In Touch With My... Southern Soul

2012 - Get To Kno' Me...

2016 - The Next 1

2020 - Real Talk

Attempting to select tracks for a tribute playlist is proving impossible as there are just so many great tracks to choose from. All his albums are available on Spotify so we suggest that you visit the complete albums as there will plenty that we have missed. If it's your first time listening to his music then you are in for a treat if you love 'proper' soul music.

Also we've just scraped the surface of Wendell's history which he tells in the the two YouTube episodes below.

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The Sindecut & Ijeoma [2023] - Lucky [Tru Thoughts #TRUDD545]

The Sindecut, featuring founding member DJ Fingers (Karl Gibson) and New York-based Geordie singer-songwriter Ijeoma (Jessica Ijeoma Marie), are considered pioneers of the British hip-hop scene. They released the acclaimed "Changing The Scenery" album in 1990 on Virgin Records.

They have recently signed to Brighton's Tru Thoughts label and have a new, jazz-inspired, single "Lucky" from their upcoming debut album "Late" due on 1 Sep. The label informs us that the album will be released as a super limited edition, hand-numbered, run of 500 vinyl, never to be repressed (in any format, variation or colour) ever again. 

The new single follows the album's lead single "Different" (15 Jun) but "Lucky" was the first song written for the album. Their debut for the label was "Stand Tall" in April (first recorded as a demo 12" in 2005 billed to Ijeoma) which was well received.

The new single is jazz rich with a big-band feel at its core, with double bass, cinematic horns and hammond organ, but with a swagger of the streets. It has DJ Fingers' trademark larger-than-life drums and Ijeoma's vocals. 

DJ Fingers is a self-described Breakbeat DJ for MCs and is hailed as one of the first turntablists in the UK and featured in the iconic 1997 'Bad Meaning Good' BBC documentary about UK hip-hop culture

Ijeoma first began song writing as a child using an old stereo for tape-to-tape recordings. She started performing her material at hip-hop and drum and bass nights on open mics, first in Newcastle and then London, which led her to meet DJ Fingers. She's also a talented graphic designer and leads the creative direction for The Sindecut and Ijeoma.

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Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Tru Thoughts
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/08/2023
Key/BPM:	9B/82
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Ciyo Brown [2023] - Borderline Re-mix [Self Released] PROMO

Ciyo Brown is a London based, Jamaican-born, internationally acclaimed guitarist, singer, composer and musical director but may not be a name that trips off the tongue but when you discover the vast array of big name artists that he has worked with you may begin to wonder why.  

Artists he has worked with include Meli’sa Morgan, Glen Jones, Mica Paris, Melba Moore, Shirley Jones, Jean Carne, Omar, Suggs, Caron Wheeler, Soul II Soul, Ann Nesby (Sounds of Blackness), Ruby Turner, Annie Lennox, Paul Weller, Marcia Griffith, Judy Mowatt and Rita Marley, Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Sly and Robbie, Freddie McGregor, Steel Pulse and Carleen Anderson. .

Ciyo self-released his seventh album, "Can We Pretend", via his website in Apr '22 (it gained a wider release on digital platforms in Nov) which he described as a "Vocal Excursions with a Tinge of Guitar!" and represents his vocal exploration of original material and songs taken from the soul, jazz, reggae, and pop genres. 

His forthcoming fifth single from the album is a remix of one of the album tracks "Borderline" which was also the title track of his fifth album in 2004. The re-mix offers additional dimensions such as background vocals, a live horn section, percussion and acoustic guitar. It will be available from his website only on 11 Aug.

It features Ciyo (vocals / guitars), Neville Malcolm (double bass), Robin Aspland (piano), Pete Adam-Hill (drums), Chinara Kurmayr (violin) Sandii Mac (BGVs), Karl Vanden Bosche (percussion), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), Laura Impallomeni (trombone) and Daniel McBrearty (tenor saxophone).

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Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/01/2023
Key/BPM:	1A/100
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Marc Staggers feat. Brian Cunningham [2023] - With Me [RegStag Music]

The last single from Marc Staggers, "It's Alright "Living A Lie", featured smooth jazz saxophonist Brian Cunningham and he follows it with another with the saxman, "With Me", on 4 Jul and on 1 Aug an instrumental version was released.

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Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	RegStag Music / Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	04/07/2023 / 01/08/2023
Key/BPM:	9B/100
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Carolynn Porter [2023] - I Want You [Cannonball Records #CBLL043]

The next single release on Cannonball Records is a previously unreleased song by Carolynn Porter which appeared on a compilation we posted last year "Emandolynn Music Presents: Rare Soul, Vol. 3". The compilation included four songs from her, two sides from her only released single on Monica, a Chester, PA, based label owned by Manny Campbell, and this song, "I Want You" with another unreleased song "Which Way Is Utopia".

Porter never commercially recorded anything else and continued to gig until she settled into marriage/family life. There is another artist named Carolyn Porter who released just one single in 1970 on Nashville label SSS International which doesn't sound like the same singer as that single is country soul, but we can't be certain.

The song featured on the Cannonball single was recorded at Joe Tarsia's famed Sigma Sound Studios. The masters were retrieved from the original reel tapes now preserved at the University of Pennsylvania and includes vocal and instrumental versions of "I Want You". It's feel reminds us of Fran Jefferies 1968 outing "Gone Now" on Monument, a beat ballad favourite on the Northern Soul scene.

Cannoball's Alberto Zanini tells us that Carolynn Porter grew up around Manny Campbell and was a vocalist in his jazz band from 1966 to 1969 that included jazz legends John 'Papa' DeFrancesco (father of Joey DeFrancesco) and Grover Washington Jr.

The single is due out next month (Sep '23) and is available to pre-order now from Cannonball Records. 

Check out the link to the compilation above of you wish to listen to her only other known recordings.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Cannonball Records
Cat No:	CBLL043
Date:	TBC/09/2023
Key/BPM:	5A/112
Price:	£20

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Big Jacks & Angela Apigo [2023] - Creepin' [ Snackalot]

Toronto DJ/producer Big Jacks (Jason Issacs) collaborates one again with Angela Apigo on his latest "Creepin'" which also features rap from Nubiian G. It comes with two versions the main mix and a radio edit which is the same length so presumably cleaned up.

We featured their debut release "Higher" in May '21 and a remix Big Jacks did for Alexie's "Take Some Time" in Feb '22.

The new single is only his fifth to date and second this year after "You Plus Love" with Angela Agipo in May.

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Details

Rating:	8.3
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	31/07/2023
Key/BPM:	3B/70
Price:	£1.79

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

BAELY [2023] - Summer [Self Released]

South Londoner BAELY (Joel Bailey) featured here with his last single "Teleport" almost a year ago in Aug '22. He co-wrote it with producer Matthew Suggett (SOULECTION) and was written and partly recorded in L.A. before drafting in Reuben James and Ben Carr (aka CARRTOONS) to help him finish it off.

He debuted in 2019 with a single "Talking  To The Walls" and released only his fifth single "Summer" on 21 Jul.

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Details

Rating:	7.9
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	21/07/2023
Key/BPM:	2B/72
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved