Soul Strutter: 03/25/24

Monday, 25 March 2024

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings [2024] - Don't Wanna Lose You / Don't Give a Friend a Number [Daptone Records #DAP-1143]

Two unreleased sides from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings that were recording during the sessions for "Soul of a Woman" (2017), and written by Daptone co-founder Neal Sugarman, are due on Friday (29 Mar).

The first song, "Don't Wanna Lose You", is released today with "Don't Give a Friend a Number" presumably arriving on Friday.

It's also available on 7" vinyl via Daptone Records for a very good price of only £6 (plus postage which is from US).

Sharon Jones died aged 60 as a result of a stroke (whilst recovering from cancer) in Nov 2016 whilst watching the results of the US presidential election. She survived 10 days and attributed her stroke to the shock of Donald Tump being elected.

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

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital / 7" Vinyl
Label:	Daptone Records
Cat No:	DAP-1143
Date:	25/03/2024 / 29/03/2024
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£1.79 / £6

Abriel Delaney feat. Tobes44 [2024] - The Way You Are [Enigma Sounds]

Originally released last Tue (19 Mar) and then withdrawn but now reissued on 24 Mar is, what appears to be, a debut single "The Way You Are" from Abriel Delaney feat. London born, Atlanta based, rapper Tobes44 (Oyinmienne Olorogun).

We downloaded it on Tues with different artwork (2nd image below), so perhaps that's why it was temporarily withdrawn?

Abriel Delaney is originally from Detroit now resident in Atlanta. A little digging highlighted that she is/was a tarot reader and was theoretically due to release a debut single way back in 2017. Whether or not anything materialised we cannot say as only this single is currently available from her, although she has two songs on her Soundcloud channel from 2019.

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

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Enigma Sounds
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/03/2024
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£1

Adam Hawley Live @ Pizza Express, Holburn, London 20 & 21 May 2024

Following the release of his latest album "Unstoppable" (released on Friday) Hampstead Jazz Club has just announced two dates for jazz guitarist Adam Hawley at Pizza Express, Holburn (London) in May.

The first night on 20th May is billed as 'All The Hits!'. The following evening (21st May) he is joined by his wife Kat Hawley for 'Album Release Party!', a show to introduce her debut album which is to be released this summer.

Both shows will have entirely different playlists so you can safely book both nights for two different shows.

Tickets available HERE. 20th May, 21st May or click on relevant images below

Marcus H. Mitchell [2024] - I WANT YOU [24th Music]

A new jazz version of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" by Maryland pianist/saxophonist Marcus H. Mitchell was released on Sunday (24 Mar).

It's essentially a piano led instrumental after the initial vocal section.

Mitchell got his musical break in 2002 when he snuck into a club to play with Marcus Johnson. After which he set up 24th Music from his Shaw University dorm in Raleigh.

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

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz / Cover Version
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	24th Music / Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/03/2024
Key/BPM:	12A/101
Price:	£1

Oliver Cheatham [2024] - Don't Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer) / Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers [Soul Junction #SJ555]

Two previously unreleased songs by Oliver Cheatham, until released on 45 by Soul Junction in 2012, are being reissued owing to demand. We are told that initially over 1,000 copies were sold, becoming the label's biggest seller and barely a week passes without the label receiving enquiries about it. There are currently only six for sale on Discogs all with an asking price of over £100.

Soul Junction are repressing 300 copies which go on sale on 5 Apr, so that you don't have to spend over £100 for a copy, but be quick as these will surely sell out fast, not only for the A side but the sweet soul ballad B side has also become sought after by the lowrider scene.

Both songs were written by Cheatham and his cousin Bill Miller and recorded in Detroit around 1974/75. The A side, "Don't Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)" is an in-demand modern soul dancer with the ballad flip "Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers".

Cheatham, from Detroit, may be, unfairly, considered a one hit wonder with his 1983 dance hit "Get Down Saturday Night" co-written with One Way's Kevin McCord. However, his career began much earlier than that in the mid 60s as a member of his future brother-in-law's, Allen Cocker, group the Young Sirs who recorded "There’s Something The Matter (With Your Heart)" on Magic City. Some sources state that he was also a member of Mad Dog & The Pups who also recorded on Ernest and Barbara Burt's label.

By 1971, Young Sirs became Butch & The Newports, Butch being Cheatham's nickname, with Cocker and Curtis 'Kippy' Henderson. They recorded just one single, of only five released on Black Rock, the best known from the label being perhaps Little Rena Scott's "I Just Can't Forget About You Baby". One of the sides on Black Rock was later released on another Marvin Figgins label, Grand Junction, under a new name for the group, The Gaslight, who released three singles for the label between 1971-73 and another, final, one later on Polydor in 1975 which Soul Junction maestro Dave Welding informs us was reputedly first released on local label T.E.A.I.

Cheatham then became lead singer with Sins Of Satan, a group led by DJ/singer/producer Al Perkins (who also produced Al Hudson & The Soul Partners who became One Way), from the mid to late 70s who released three albums and four singles. By 1981 they evolved into Round Trip releasing an album and two singles before being named Oliver with two singles, "Everybody Wants To Be The Boss" and "Make Up Your Mind" in 1982.

His next release was his breakthrough under his own name with "Get Down Saturday Night" in 1983 which peaked at #37 R&B and #38 UK pop chart. A song sampling it was recorded 20 years later as "Make Luv" by Room 5 feat. Oliver Cheatham entering straight in at #1 on the UK pop chart in Apr 2003 staying their for 4 weeks and remaining on the chart for a total of 15 weeks. It was followed by "Music And You" the same year which made UK pop chart Top 40 at #38.

He had a further three R&B chart entries with "SOS" (#35 1986), "Celebrate Our Love" (#87 1986) and a duet with Jocelyn Brown "Turn Out The Lights" (#70 1990) and recorded six albums before his demise of a heart attack in Nov 2013 aged 65.

The back story to the Soul Junction release, paraphrased from an article Dave Welding published, is this.

The two songs were discovered on an unreleased six track acetate bought on eBay by Italian collector Marco Cavenaghi. The only information on the recording was the name Pam Jackson handwritten on the sleeve, two of the tracks were by a female artist presumed to be Jackson who is unknown.

Marco passed the acetate to DJ Olindo Di Tizio for radio play. He in turn took several cuts of the songs and passed them to several UK DJs hoping that further exposure would help identify the artist. It eventually fell at the feet of Dave Welding who had an inkling that it may be Oliver Cheatham. He used his contacts in Detroit, namely Janet 'Pixie' Wright a former session singer at Magic City and close friend of Cheatham's, who gave Dave his number.

Dave called Cheatham and played both songs over the phone and he confirmed with excitement that it was indeed him singing and that he hadn't heard the songs for almost 40 years. After tracking down his cousin Bill Miller, Dave got agreement to lease both songs.

Bill relayed that the acetate was cut at United Sound Studios, Detroit, after leaving The Gaslight, for a Motown producer's party Bill was invited to. Motown showed no interest in it although Bill later joined Motown as songwriter, arranger, producer, (he wrote "I Feel Sanctified" for Commodores also recorded by Wild Cherry). Bill then tried to get a deal for the record with Buddah without success.

How the acetate ended up on eBay is anyone's guess. Bill assumes that it must have been left at United Sound and sold off when the studio closed.

Available now to pre-order from Soul Junction for release on 5th Apr 2024.

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

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / Sweet Soul
Format:	Single / Reissue
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul Junction
Cat No:	SJ555
Date:	05/04/2024
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£13

Sanpriest [2024] - To Be There [Black Unicorn Entertainment]

Charlotte, NC, actor/singer Marktavious Patton, under his musical alias Sanpriest, debuted last year with "She's Bad" co-written with Jeremy Turgeon (aka Brass Man Reptiles and trumpet player with Doobie Powell and many others).

He followed it up in Feb this year with the very well received "Come Here Baby" which he now consolidates with his third single "To Be There" released last week which we omitted to post.

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

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Details

Rating:	8.3
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Black Unicorn Entertainment
Cat No:	None
Date:	15/03/2024
Key/BPM:	9A/106
Price:	£1

Chrissy Ash [2024] - Exhale [Pretty Pink Records] (Full EP)

Chrissy Ash was born in Atmore, AL (now living in Atlanta) and started practicing Usher's runs and dance moves from a young age. From an early age she was inspired by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey and began expressing herself through singing.

During the pandemic she decided to take music more seriously by recording and releasing covers on YouTube and then released her debut single "Your Own" in Aug '22.

With five singles now under her belt, she's released her debut six track EP "Exhale" consisting of all new songs (i.e. none of the previous singles feature).

As seems to be the current vogue, three of the songs are sub two minutes with the longest track clocking in at 2:33, the whole EP lasts 11:34 so with a price of £5.94 that's about 50p per minute!

Having said that, it's quite a good EP with several tracks appealing to our ears, "Get Up (Move)", "I Remember" and "Perfect" in particular.

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

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	EP
Media:	Digital
Label:	Pretty Pink Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	22/03/2024
Price:	£5.94

Mimi Scott [2024] - Confessions Of A Lover Girl [Self Released] (Full EP)

Another new artist releasing her debut EP "Confessions Of A Lover Girl" is Michaela Mimi Scott. who is a US Army veteran from Spartanburg, SC.

Her only other release (listed) is a single "Lavendar (I Got You)" in Jan '23 which is included on the EP, although a video from the opening track "Moments" was uploaded on her YouTube channel last July.

Two of the tracks use samples, "Attention" uses one of those recurrent library backing tracks that we first encountered used by W3sst on "Midnight" and a few others since (such as Shann Aberdeen "Prayers 4 You"). The other is "The Message" which uses a sped up version of The O'Jays/Third World "Now That We Found Love".

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

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist.

Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	EP
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	21/03/2024
Price:	£3.95

OG [2024] - Thank You [Self Released]

OG (Olivia Grant) is a relatively new artist who we can find nothing about (try Googling OG .. and with Olivia Grant it returns an English actress).

She made her first appearance in 2021 with a single and followed it with a five track EP, "Chaos", in 2022.

Her first release since then is "Thank You" on Friday (22 Mar) which, to our ears, is her best to date.

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

Details

Rating:	8.3
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	22/03/2024
Key/BPM:	4A/115
Price:	£1

Shenz [2024] - Don't Take It Away [Self Released]

Shenz is a new artist from South London who released her debut single "Don't Take It Away" on Saturday (23 Mar).

We know nothing else about her except that the song was produced by London producer/rapper/singer/songwriter Karmah Cruz.

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

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	23/03/2024
Key/BPM:	7A/87
Price:	£0.59