Soul Strutter: 04/27/24

Saturday, 27 April 2024

LaShawn D. Gary [2024] - Evolution [LNC Music] (Full Album)

Emmy award-winning producer, composer, smooth jazz artist, and pianist LaShawn D. Gary released a single in Feb, "Everything You're Looking For", featuring the vocals of Penny Wells.

He now follows if with a full album which has several other guest artists such as vocalist Roderick Harper on two songs, trumpeter Willie Bradley and guitarist Mark Whitfield. The album is predominantly instrumental apart from the single with Ms Wells and the two songs feat. Roderick Harper, both well worth checking out.

Gary is from Detroit and is a music educator currently teaching music with Southfield Public Schools. He has worked with many artists in the soul/jazz world such as Patti Austin, Greg Phillinganes, L.J. Reynolds (Dramatics), Howard Hewett, Keith Washington, Yolanda Adams, Michael J. Powell (Anita Baker) and Paul Riser.

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Soul Jazz
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	LMC Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	17/04/2024
Price:	£7.99

The Proper Lovers [2024] - Future Trip [WeLoveDucks]

As alluded to on the Becca Hannah post, she is the lead singer with The Proper Lovers who released their second single "Future Trip" on 12 April which has a bit of a retro vibe going down.

On Becca's YouTube channel is a demo video for it recorded in Jul '22.

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Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Retro Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	WeLoveDucks
Cat No:	None
Date:	12/04/2024
Key/BPM:	11A/140
Price:	£1

Becca Hannah [2024] - Contradictory Girl [Self Released]

The latest single from Becca Hannah is "Contradictory Girl" which conveniently comes bundled with her last two singles ("Drive Slow" and "13") as we haven't come across her music before.

Becca, from Boston, MA, has a soulful, jazzy, alt-r&b style that she has developed from being influenced by Amy Winehouse, Corrine Bailey Rae, Norah Jones and Carole King.

Curiously and coincidentally, we discovered that Becca is also a member (lead singer) of The Proper Lovers. We came across their latest single "Future Trip" a couple of weeks ago when released on 12 Apr and haven't got around to posting it with the backlog since we were on our Easter break. The song has obviously been around a while as we found a video for it on her YouTube channel from Jul '22 where she stated that it was an unreleased demo.

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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:	26/04/2024
Key/BPM:	10A/85
Price:	£1

Amanda Greatorex [2024] - Find the Moon [Endless Summer Music] [Full Album)

We were introduced to the music of New Jersey native Amanda Greatorex with her first single of 2024, "Perfect" (4 Jan), which was included in SoulStrutter Selections Jan 2024 mix. She followed it up with "Good Enough" (4 Feb).

We were led to believe that she had a sophomore album titled "Point Of View" due out later this year but she has released a seven tracker "Find the Moon" which doesn't include either single and, with seven tracks, straddles the boundary of whether it's an EP or album, so perhaps the album is still to come?

Our highlighted tracks are "Get It" and "Up All Night".

Whilst she may appear a newcomer as far as recorded music is concerned, she has spent over ten years performing professionally after receiving a degree in music from the prestigious University of North Texas College of Music.

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	Y
Genre/Style:	Neo Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Endless Summer Music
Cat No:	None
Date:	25/04/2024
Price:	£6.93

MHem [2024] - One Night Stand [Self Released] (Full Album)

We first came across MHem (Mario Hemsley) in Oct '23 with his first album "Friends With Benefits" which was a set of cover versions sung by Derran Day (the son on The Time's Morris Day). He has a new album out today, "One Night Stand", which again is a set of covers and presumably, although not specifically stated, features Day on lead vocals.

The highlights for us are the opening track which is a vocal version of Kool & The Gang's "Summer Madness", along with Dexter Wansel penned "I'm in Love Once Again" recorded by Jean Carn on her eponymous debut album from Philadelphia International in 1976. The version of Marvin Gaye's "Just To Keep You Satisfied" is also superb.

It's a very pleasant listening album throughout with Day's 'smooth as silk' vocals.

Track listing

01 - Summer Madness (Kool & The Gang 1975)

02 - Color My World (Chicago 1970)

03 - So Beautiful (Musiq Soulchild 2008)

04 - I'm in Love Once Again (Jean Carn 1976)

05 - Just to Keep You Satisfied (Marvin Gaye 1973)

06 - Lover's Eve (Isley Bros. 1974)

07 - Deliver the Word (War 1973)

08 - Mysterious Vibes (Blackbyrds 1977)

09 - Love Is Like a Newborn Child (Randy Crawford 1979)

10 - So Beautiful (Dope Mix) (Musiq Soulchild 2008)

11 - One Night Stand (Poem) (Original)

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Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Cover Versions
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	26/04/2024
Price:	£7.99

Eric Benny Bloom [2024] - Late Bloomer [Rootin' Tootin' Records] (Full EP)

Last Friday Eric Benny Bloom released a single "Concentrate" which is included on his new EP "Late Bloomer" released today (26 Apr). We think this is the prime track but post the full EP for your consideration.

"Concentrate" has a smooth 70s blue-eyed soul vibe reminiscent of AWB, Boz Scaggs, Bobby Caldwell et al. It is, of course, a cover of Willie Tee (Gatur 1980).

Bloom is trumpet player for NOLA funk band Lettuce so it's not such a big surprise that Nigel Hall features on the closing track. In addition Ivan Neville (son of Aaron) and Galactic founder and drummer Stanton Moore also feature on "Funkie Moon".

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Details

Rating:	7.8 (8.4 for Concentrate)
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Rootin' Tootin' Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	26/04/2024
Price:	£5.94

Smidi Beats feat. Angie La Spina [2024] - I'll Say It Again / What about Us [Self Released]

We've come across several releases by Smidi Beats over recent months. Many are a bit hit and miss, but this one stood out. A bit of digging uncovered that the song was released by Angie La Spina in Apr 2016 as "I Said It Before" and sounds very similar and has the same running time, so a reissue or a remix? Judge for yourself as we found the original on YouTube (below).

Angie is from Nevada and the video states that it was the second single from a forthcoming album "Why Not Us" which we can find no trace of, although it was the title of the first single in Dec 2015 and is quite a nice stepper (also included below). Curiously, it has also been released as Smidi Beats feat. Angie La Spina with the amended title "What about Us".

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Reissue?
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	12/04/2024
Key/BPM:	8B/74 / 12A/84
Price:	£1

DMB feat. Mary Jane Girls [2024] - ALL NITE LONG [ESOP]

The Mary Jane Girls' biggest UK hit, "All Night Long", peaking at #13 on UK pop chart in July 1983, is the subject of the latest remix by DMB (Do More Bass) who seemed to emerge last year and now have around 25 remixes to their name.

The Mary Jane Girls started out as Rick James' backing singers in 1979 and eventually became a group in their own right releasing two albums on Motown in 1983 and 1985 respectively. They achieved eight R&B chart hits in that time with "In My House" being their biggest stateside (#3 R&B / #7 Hot 100) and "All Night Long" in the UK.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Remix
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	ESOP
Cat No:	None
Date:	26/04/2024
Key/BPM:	3A/98
Price:	£1

freekind. [2024] - Good News [Vision Tribe]

Freekind. is a neo-soul duo comprising of Croatian pianist and vocalist Sara Ester Gredelj and Slovenian drummer Nina Korošak Serčič.

They debuted in Mar 2020 with a single "Beauty" and another in Apr "I'm Gonna Live" and released a six track EP "Not Good Enough" in June '21 which contains the debut single but not the second.

They release their second single of 2024, "Good News", which follows "Made It" in Jan (included in out "SoulStrutter Selection for Jan 2024").

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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:	26/04/2024
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£1