Soul Strutter: 03/08/24

Friday, 8 March 2024

Cecily [2024] - A Flower In Winter [Harmonious Grits]

Washington D.C. based vocalist and songwriter Cecily Bumbray releases the second single from her forthcoming album "Awakening Pt. 2" today which, naturally, follows "The Awakening Pt.1" (2019)" with her first being "Songs of Love and Freedom" (2018).

The single, "Flower In Winter", which has a jazz-samba style, we are informed is inspired by a quote: "Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion" by author, academic, activist and black feminist bell hooks, and presumably released today for International Women's Day.

bell hooks was actually Gloria Jean Watkins who borrowed the name from her maternal grandmother Bell Blair Hooks for her pen name and used lower case letter to distinguish herself from her grandmother.

The forthcoming album is also inspired by bell hooks book "All About Love" and it may then come as no surprise to learn that Ms Bumbray has a degree in Political Science and Black Studies.

We can't let it pass without commenting that her tone is very much in the Minnie Riperton mould.

Cecily has featured here once before featuring on "Feel So Good", a track from Jose James' "No Beginning No End2" in 2020. She has opened for Gregory Porter, Ezra Collective, Maysa, Kenny Lattimore and Johnny Gill to name a few.

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Detail

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Harmonious Grits
Cat No:	None
Date:	08/03/2024
Key/BPM:	12A/86
Price:	£1

Dj OloGi feat. Creesie Reene & The New Groove [2024] - All The Time [JetLag Entertainment]

Only last week we featured the reissued album by The New Groove ("Midnight Arcadia") which appears to have been initially released via Bandcamp in 2020.

This week one of their members Dj OloGi (Patrick Parks) has a single on which they are credited along with Creesie Reene (Lacreasha Braxton).

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	JetLag Entertainment
Cat No:	None
Date:	08/03/2024
Key/BPM:	12A/97
Price:	£1

Victor Haynes [2024] - Let The Lovin' Start [Expansion Records]

Manchester's Victor Haynes has a new album, "Dreams", due later this year on Expansion Records. To introduce it, the first single "Let The Lovin' Start" is released today.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Expansion Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	08/03/2024
Key/BPM:	8A/98
Price:	£1

J'Cenae [2024] - He Lied [Raw Soul Muzik Group]

Rolling Fork's (MS) Jacqueline Cenae Williams, know to us all as J'Cenae, has a new single out today titled "He Lied", co-written with Jawonn.

In between the last one we posted, "Am I Not Enough" in Aug '23, she released "Real Real Woman" in Nov.

After auditioning for America Idol in 2004, J'Cenae toured with Marvin Sease until his death in 2011. She then began focussing on a solo career debuting with a single "Good Stuff" in 2016.

In 2018 she performed with, and was mentored by, the late Wendell B (Brown) releasing her breakthrough single, "I'll Be Down In A Minute", co-written with Brown who also featured on the song, in 2019.

Her debut album, "Decency", was released in Nov '21 and was our SoulStrutter Selection of the Week.

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Details

Rating:	8.1
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Southern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Raw Soul Muzik Group
Cat No:	None
Date:	08/03/2024
Key/BPM:	10A/83
Price:	£1

Calumet [2024] - In Love (You Got Me) [Self Released]

Calumet was originally formed in 2001 in Phoenix, AZ, by Eric Mobley and Jason Mitchell as a soul and funk cover band and released three albums: "Retro Energy" (2002), "The Musical Brothers Calumet" (2008) and "Rock Soul Funkateers"). In 2009 they went into a hiatus and were reborn in 2018 releasing their fourth album "Life In Transition".

The last two of their earlier albums were also reissued in 2022 (we featured "The Musical Brothers Calumet" which we rated quite highly) along with some new singles and some previously unreleased songs.

Their latest single is "In Love (You Got Me)" released today and is their third single already this year.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	08/03/2024
Key/BPM:	8B/94
Price:	£1