Soul Strutter: 02/10/24

Saturday, 10 February 2024

Stephen Laurence Harvey aka Steve the Scotsman Harvey [2024] - BODY & SOUL [Self Released]

Steve The Scotsman Harvey, originally from Aberdeen, recorded an album "BODY & SOUL" for A&M in the early 90s. He had been signed to the label by renown DJ Jeff Young who headed A&M's A&R dept. Young was moved to another department within MCA and was required to take his acts with him. Unfortunately, the album was deemed too black sounding for the white department and too white sounding for the black department and the album was shelved but was held onto by MCA until last year when they released the masters back to Harvey.

Harvey has now released the album via Bandcamp on 7 Feb '24.

The album was co-written by The Family Stand's Sandra St. Victor who also produced and sang background vocals. Musicians include Rufus' Tony Maiden (guitar), Doc Powell (guitar), Freddie Washinton & Byron Miller (bass), Kirk Whalum, Bridgette Bryant, Portia Griffith, Kedison Kai & Valerie Bailey BGVs).

Rene Geyer and Gary Brown were co writers and also sang BGV's on their respective tracks. Sly Stone attended the session on the song "Lies"

A couple of tracks are gaining immediate attention, the opener "Mother I Found" and "Peachtree Lane" with some songs now, inevitably, sounding dated. The title track "Body & Soul", for which there is an original music video, still kicks.

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Details

Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	90s Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	07/02/2024
Price:	$15

Callas Dozier [2024] - Possibility [Self Released]

Another debut release, and as we such can find no information about the artist Callas Dozier who released "Possibility" today (10 Feb).

For some reason it reminds us in places of Luther's "Creepin'", of course originally penned and recorded by Stevie Wonder.

We did manage to find her, rather scant, facebook page (presumably only recently set up) under the name Callas Melody where it states that she's from Atlanta, GA.

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Details

Rating:	8.3
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	10/02/2024
Key/BPM:	2B/100
Price:	£1

Eramus Hall [2024] - Your Love Is My Desire (2024 Remastered) [Westbound #WB 5000] (Full Album)

More nostalgia as Eramus Hall's 1980 album "Your Love Is My Desire" has been remastered and reissued digitally, on CD and also on vinyl.

Original vinyl copies fetch as much as £700 but has been reissued several times, initially on vinyl and CD in 1996 by Ace. The CD release contained two bonus tracks not included on the original or this release.

The tracks of main interest to the modern soul followers are the title track "Your Love Is My Desire" and a cover of J.R, Bailey's "Just You And Me".

Eramus Hall were a group who were allegedly named by George Clinton from the name of a Chicago building. One of their members, bassist and vocalist Joe Anderson, previously released three singles on Buddah in 1974-75, one of them being "You And I" that uses the same backing as Ed Summers "I Can Tell". You can listen to both HERE.

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Details

Rating:	8.3
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / 80s Soul
Format:	Album / Reissue
Media:	Digital / CD
Label:	Westbound
Cat No:	WB 5000
Date:	09/02/2024
Price:	£7.49 / £32.62

Camera Soul [2024] - Summer Memories [Playaudio] (Full Album)

Camera Soul released the title track of their latest album, "Summer Memories", as their last single on 12 Jan. The full album was released today (9 Feb) and also includes the previous singles "Everything's Alright" (Sep '23) and "Shooting Star" (May '23).

It's a pretty consistent album so not easy to pick favourites but if pushed, on first listen, "The River In The Sand", "My Time" and "So Strong" stood out from the new songs but that may change on further listens.

They are a jazz-funk ensemble based in Bari (southern Italy) led by composer-arranger brothers Piero and Pippo Lombardo and produced by Marco Rossi. The current female lead singer is Sabreetha Vee.

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	09/02/2024
Price:	£7.89

Benedic Lamdin, Riaan Vosloo & Carlton Jumel Smith [2024] - Classic Soul: This Thing Called Love [Input Output Music] (Full Album)

Strangely, this album "Classic Soul: This Thing Called Love" is showing a date of 23 Feb but seems to be available today 9 Feb. So we suggest that if you like it that you grab it now just in case it was a mistake and gets withdrawn and reissued on 23rd.

It's a retro style album by Benedic Lamdin and Riaan Vosloo with Carlton Jumel Smith featuring three songs. We don't know who the uncredited female vocalist is who appears on most of the songs.

Benedic Lamdin is a British producer who has released music as Nostalgia 77 since 2004 along with bassist Riaan Vosloo.

Our favourite tracks are "Love's Not A Dream Anymore", "The Way I Want It To Be" and "Smile" on first listen. The last two both feature Carlton Jumel Smith. "Day After Day" is also quite nice and features an unnamed male vocalist who we don't think is Smith as it sounds bit blue-eyed, so perhaps Lamdin or Vosloo?

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Input Output Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	09/02/2024 (23/02/2024)
Price:	£7.99

October London [2023] - The Rebirth Of Marvin [Death Row Records] (Full Album and Live Video)

Just in case you've just returned from Mars and missed it, today is the 1st anniversary of one of the most seminal albums of recent years, October London's "The Rebirth Of Marvin".

We were given a taste of it the prior week of its release with the single "Back To Your Place".

Actually, we were given a taste prior to that, although we weren't aware of it, as one of the killer cuts, "Mullholland Drive", was released on "Snoop Dogg Presents Death Row Summer 2022" in Jun '22. We even commented on the post that the song was 'very Marvin Gaye'sih'!

When the lead single was released on 3 Feb we commented that 'it has more than a few hints of Marvin's "Distant Lover"'. Little did we know what was coming although we did a bit of digging when the single was released which is revealed in that post. In summary it was released on limited edition 8 track cartridge in three sets and sold via TFTs in April 2021 which are now selling for large sums. Who even has a 8 track player to play it on?

Albums as good as this don't come along very often so let's remind ourselves of this modern day masterpiece. A quick tot up on Spotify reveals that the album has received approx. 17m streams to date.

London has just commenced a 19 date U.S. tour for the album (it's a shame that there are no international dates (as yet)):

25 Jan - Seattle, WA - The Showbox

27 Jan - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre Taube Music Hall

28 Jan - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda

7 Feb - Jacksonville, - FL Florida Theater

8 Feb - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works

9 Feb - Atlanta, GA - Centerstage

10 Feb - Charlotte, NC - QC Soundstage

14 Feb - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!

15 Feb - Washington DC - Howard Theatre

17 Feb - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

18 Feb - Richmond, VA - The National

20 Feb - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel

22 Feb - St. Louis, MO - The Hawthorne

23 Feb - Detroit, MI - The Majestic

24 Feb - Cleveland, OH - The Agora

25 Feb - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre

29 Feb - New Orleans, LA - Joy Theater

1 Mar - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live

3 Mar - Dallas, TX - The Studio at the Factory

Tickets available HERE

The whole album was performed live on Snoop Dogg presents Shot In The Dark and posted on YouTube:

01:05 - Sexual Conversations

02:32 - Back to Your Place

06:00 - You Look Better

09:30 - Midnight Love Affair

11:10 - The Lovers' Interlude

14:18 - Color Blind (Color Blind: Love LP 2016)

21:27 - Actor's Remorse

23:35 - What I Won't Do
26:16 - Rollercoaster

30:00 - You Give Me Love

33:52 - The Way You Move / Make Me Wanna

36:20 - Mullholland Drive

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Details

Rating:	9.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Death Row Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	10/02/2023
Price:	£7.99