Soul Strutter: 03/06/24

Wednesday, 6 March 2024

Jay Bishop [2024] - Just Thought I'd Let You Know [Late Pass]

The latest single by Detroit's Jay Bishop, "Just Thought I'd Let You Know", has a driving, infectious, funky bassline that draws you in. It's interspersed about 2:30 in with a guitar solo.

He has a large back catalogue dating back to 2016 on his Bandcamp page, yet we've not come across his music before and this is his third single already this year alone.

All his music is released by Tokyo based label Last Pass which states that it is dedicated to Jay's music, so whether or not it's his own label we don't know for sure, but his Soundcloud says he's based between Detroit and Japan, so may well be.

From writer's credits we assume his real name to be Johnathan Howard Davis.

Included in "SoulStrutter Selections Feb/Mar 2024 Wk 09"

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Funk
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Late Pass
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/03/2024
Key/BPM:	2A/93
Price:	£1

Tallia Storm [2024] - Ballers [Talquila Records]

Tallia Storm is a singer, songwriter, radio presenter from Glasgow who hosts the breakfast show weekday mornings on Capital Scotland. She rose to fame after being discovered by Sir Elton John in 2012 when she was just 13 and he invited her to open for him at Falkirk Stadium.

John stated that she has "one of the most impressive soul signatures I've heard in 20 years" and she has also been co-signed by Nile Rogers who said that she is "one of my favourite new artists in the world".

She made her first release in 2015 with a debut album "Teenage Years" following in 2017 and has now released around sixteen singles, her latest being "Ballers" on 1 Mar.

Not surprisingly, she cites her influences as artist such as Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys to the jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington.

Included in "SoulStrutter Selections Feb/Mar 2024 Wk 09"

UPDATE 7 Mar '23: If you had any doubts about The SoulStrutter Effect, this release was not even on Amazon 100 yesterday when we 'belatedly' posted it and 24 hours later is currently sitting at #24 (see screenshot below).

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Click to enlarge

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Talquila Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/03/2024
Key/BPM:	10A/90
Price:	£1

The SoulStrutter Effect?

We have just noticed that that three brand new releases that we posted yesterday are already in the Amazon UK Hot New Releases 100 top 25 i.e. Devon Howard has 6 tracks from his album sandwiched between EMANI ETRNL and MAR1SOL. A coincidence?

In fact EMANI ETRNL released another version of the song on Friday which we included in our weekly mix ("SoulStrutter Selections Feb/Mar 2024 Wk 09") along with many others not yet posted. So if you want to hear what they are then check out the mix via link above or on Mixcloud.

Click to enlarge

Ron Parris & Lou Ragland [2024] - Never Gonna Give It Up / Love Is Real [Numero Group]

In Jan we came across a Numero release on Lou Ragland's Casino imprint (Numero now owns the Casino catalogue) of a previously unreleased song, "Sunday Afternoon", billed as Gigi Copeland & Lou Ragland even though Ragland's voice was not in evidence.

At the weekend we came across another, this time billed Ron Parris & Lou Ragland with two songs, "Never Gonna Give It Up" / "Love Is Real". We can't be certain, but a Ronnie Paris was a member of The Stereos from Ohio where Ragland originated.

However, we found a gospel album by The First Light released in 1986 on Spirit Of Nevada (a subsidiary of Casino) on which Ragland and Parris performed with Parris writing two of the songs, so it's possible that these two songs originated around the same time.

Once again there is no indication that Ragland is singing on either song but he is credited as writer on both. Parris' vocals sound remarkably similar to Al Jarreau on both songs.

Cleveland, OH, born Lou Ragland is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and label owner who has been making music since the early 60s. Whilst a breakthrough hit eluded him, several of his recordings have been revered on the rare soul circuit such as "I Travel Alone", "Since You Said You'd Be Mine" (with it's killer deep soul flip "I Didn't Mean To Leave You") along with his "Understand Each Other" solo album and as a member of Hot Chocolate who released a solitary album in 1971 and last, but not least, his 2-stepper "Making Love".

After forming a band, The Monclairs, at high school he released his first recording "Never Let Me Go" / "Party at Lester's" in 1964 on Cleveland's Way Out label as Lou Ragland & The Bandmasters. He spent some time as a member of Billy Ward & The Dominos (past members include Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson) and then became friendly with fellow Clevelander Edwin Starr who's career was beginning to take off after signing to Ric-Tic. Starr helped him secure a deal with Bell Records where he released his next single, "I Travel Alone" / "Big Wheel", on their Amy imprint in 1967. It didn't even dent the R&B chart but was picked up on years later by the Northern Soul scene and is regarded as a classic featuring in the NS all-time Top 500.

His next single was under the name Volcanic Eruption, again on Way Out. Interestingly, the A side was co-written with a R. Parish, could that be a misspelling of R. Parris? He then formed the band Hot Chocolate who released an eponymous album and three singles on his own Co Co Cleveland label in the early 70s.

It would appear that his luck was changing by being signed to a major, Warner Bros., in 1973 and released "Since You Said You Would Be Mine" but, alas, chart success still eluded him. However, yet again, the record was picked up on much later on the UK rare soul scene and is quite an in-demander nowadays, not only for the A side, but as we said previously, for the stunning deep soul flipside.

Back to the drawing board, Ragland's next venture was forming another label SMH and releasing a single "What Should I Do" / "Understand Each Other" (a popular 2-stepper) in 1974 and in 1977 an album, "Understand Each Other", which included a longer re-recording of "Since You Said You'd Be Mine". The label released just one other single by a group named Wildfire in 1975, which Ragland was a member of.

Ragland then moved to Las Vegas and formed Great Lakes Orchestra and launched Casino records releasing "Love Moods" in 1985 which produced another song loved on the 2-step scene, "Making Love".

Around the same time he hooked up again with Edwin Starr who was touring the UK with his Ric-Tic Revue and invited Ragland to join him.

In 1986 he joined The Inkspots and later he formed the gospel group The First Light releasing two albums on his Casino imprint. A couple more albums appeared on Great Lakes Records in the 90s.

In 2012 he was approached by Numero Group who released a three CD set of his work spanning several decades, titled "I Travel Alone". It would appear that Numero has either acquired or has licensed access to his material.

We have posted many of Raglands recordings over the years (HERE). An unsung hero for sure apart from the soul aficionado underground scenes.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Previously Unreleased
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Numero Group
Cat No:	None
Date:	29/02/2024
Key/BPM:	9B/102 / 8A/114
Price:	£1.79

The Motet [2024] - Love Time [Self Released]

The Motet is a six piece group from Denver, CO, founded in 1998. They've released ten studio and two live albums, their latest, "All Day", in Jan '23.

We last featured them with "Nautral Light" in Sep '23. Their second single since then, the funky "Love Time" (which has a bit of a Prince flava), was released on 24 Feb, once again featuring Sarah Clarke on lead.

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Funk
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	28/02/2024
Key/BPM:	6B/126
Price:	£1

Audrey Powne [2024] - From The Fire [BBE]

Originally released on 16 Feb as a vocal only, Audrey Powne has added an instrumental version of "From The Fire". In Jan she released "Feed The Fire" (which gets a bit confusing!) and followed it on 2 Feb with multiple remixes titled "Atjazz & musclecars Remixes".

"From The Fire" is the title track, and second single, from her self-written and self-produced debut solo album to be released by BBE. A launch party for it is being held at the Jazz Cafe, London, on 7 Apr. The album will also be available on vinyl which you can pre-order now for release on 26 Apr.

The song takes inspiration from two of Audrey's favourite artists, Herbie Hancock (especially his "Secrets" and "Sunlight" albums of the 70s) and jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove who died less than a month after his 49th birthday in 2018.

Pownes is a vocalist, trumpeter and songwriter from Melbourne, now living in London, who is known for fronting sweet soul band Leisure Centre and also as one half of genre defying, electro funk project Au Dré with keyboardist/producer James Bowers (aka Jambau) who is also a member of Sex On Toast, remember their great little ditty "Oh Loretta!" from 2015?

We've included all material, i.e. both singles plus all remixes of "Feed The Fire" to give you a flavour of what to expect when the full album is released next month.

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Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	BBE
Cat No:	None
Date:	01/03/2024
Key/BPM:	3B/85
Price:	£1.79