21st Century Soul - 2003 (The Best Of)

2003

Continuing the 21st Century Soul series after a break over Easter with some of the best tracks from 2003.

Previous Years

2000

2001

2002

Unfortunately Roger Williams has had to bow out owing to other, more pressing, commitments, so to make up the quorum SoulStrutter will take up the reins.

Sometimes 'less is more' so rather than bombard you with scores of tracks in the playlist we will restrict to a maximum of 40-50 tracks and perhaps revisit each year with 'the ones that got away' when we get to 2023. However, we will list all selections so you can explore them if you wish. All DJ's selections (that are available on Spotify) are included and only titles in bold text from SoulStrutter. Tracks highlighted in red we could not find on Spotify.

The playlist is simply alphabetical by artist against each individual who selected them. 

Artist	Title (Album)
Kevin Oxberry	Starpoint Radio
Antoinique	Sunshine (Introducing Antoinique LP)
Barrington 'Bo' Henderson	Makin' Love (Best Kept Secret LP)
Earth, Wind & Fire	Let Me Love You (The Promise LP)
Eloise Laws	In The Thick Of It (Secrets LP)
Gerald Levert	Didn't We (Stroke Of Genius LP)
Jeff Bradshaw feat. Carol Riddick	Can You Come Over (Bone Deep LP)
Jeff Hendrick	Dance With Me (Bout Time LP)
Joe	And Then... (And Then... LP)
Kindred The Family Soul	Far Away (Surrender To Love LP)
Mary J. Blige	Willing & Waiting (Love & Life LP)
Musiq Soulchild feat. Aries	Forthenight (Soulstar LP)
Seek	Talk About It (Journey Into Day LP)
Paul Goldsmith	Starpoint Radio
Bass X	All Inside (Volume II Heir Wave LP)
Beyonce & Bilal	Everything I Do (The Fighting Temptations LP)
Dwele	Find A Way (Subject LP)
Incognito	Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Who Needs Love LP)
Jarrard Anthony	Sweet Memories (Don't Sleep LP)
Kenny Lattimore & Chante Moore	Here We Go (Things That Lovers Do LP)
Vaneese Thomas	The Magic Of You (A Woman's Love LP)
Steve Aggasild	Soul Music Radio / SOTAR;
Aretha Franklin	Holdin On (So Damn Happy LP)
Blu Cantrell	Sleep In The Middle (Bittersweet LP)
Dwele	Find A Way (Subject LP)
Gerald Veasley feat. John Legend	Summer Kiss (Velvet LP)
Joe	That Girl (12")
John Stoddart	Falling For You (Wings To Walk This Road LP)
Kenny Lattimore & Chante Moore	You Don't Have To Cry (Things That Lovers Do LP)
Kindred The Family Soul	Stars (Surrender To Love LP)
Musiq Soulchild feat. Aaries	Forthenight (Soulstar LP)
Rhian Benson	Say How I Feel (Gold Coast LP)
Soulstance feat. Arthur Miles	The Time (Life Size LP)
The New Mastersounds feat. Corinne Bailey Rae	Your Love Is Mine (Be Yourself LP)
SoulStrutter
Al Green	Million To One (I Can't Stop LP)
Alicia Keys	You Don't Know My Name (The Diary Of Alicia Keys LP)
Anthony Hamilton	Better Days / My First Love Feat Latoiya Williams (Comin' From Where I'm From LP)
Aretha Franklin	Wonderful / Holdin' On / Ain't No Way (So Damn Happy LP)
Ashanti	Breakup 2 Makeup / I Found Lovin' / Rain On Me /  Living My Life / Feels So Good / Sweet Baby (Chapter II LP)
Avant	Read Your Mind (Part II The Remix) (Private Room LP)
Ayanna Gregory	Far Away (Beautiful Flower LP)
Blu Cantrell	Holding On To Love / I Love You (Bittersweet LP)
Brand New Heavies	Rise (We Won't Stop LP)
Calvin Richardson	More Than A Woman (2:23 PM LP)
Chestnut Brothers	Travellin' On (Peace Suite LP)
Dave Hollister	Good Ole Ghetto / Pleased Tonight (Real Talk LP)
Dennis Taylor	Cant Stop Lovin You / In The Mood (In The Mood LP)
Dottie Pearson	Bring It Over Baby / House Made Of Love (House Made Of Love LP)
Erykah Badu	I Want You / Woo (World Wide Underground LP)
EWF	Where Do We Go From Here? (The Promise LP)
Frank McComb	Shine / Fools / Intimate Time (The Truth LP)
Full Flava	Love Holds No Limit (ft. Beverlei Brown) / You Are (ft. Carleen Anderson) / Stories (ft. Carleen Anderson) (Colour Of My Soul LP)
Gary Taylor	My Desire (Eclectic Bohemian LP)
Gerald Levert	Didn't We / Long Hot Summer / Let It Be / (They Long To Be) Close To You Feat. Tamia (Stroke Of Genius LP)
Heston	If / Angel (Special Edition LP)
Impromp2	When Will Things Change? (The Definition Of Love LP)
Isley Brothers	Prize Possession (Body Kiss LP)
Israel & New Breed	Real (Real LP)
Javier	Crazy / October Sky (Javier LP)
Joe	Jeep / It Ain't Like That (And Then... LP)
Joss Stone	Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me?) Part 1 (The Soul Sessions LP)
Kelis	Glow (feat._Raphael Saadiq) (Tasty LP)
Kenny Lattimore & Chante Moore	Here We Go (Minnie Riperton) (Things That Lovers Do LP)
Kindred The Family Soul	Far Away (Surrender To Love LP)
Ledisi	Good Lovin' (Soulsinger The Revival LP)
Leon Ware	It Is Drippin' On Yourself / Finger Party (Love's Drippin' LP)
Lizz Wright	Salt (Salt LP)
LSG	Wide Open (LSG2 LP)
Luther Vandross	Think About You / Lovely Day Part II / The Closer I Get To You Feat. Beyonce (Dance With My Father LP)
Michael McDonald	Distant Lover / Too High (Motown LP)
Musiq Soulchild	Soulstar (Soulstar LP)
Mya	No Sleep Tonight / Take A Picture (Moodring LP)
Neo	Smile (Welcome To the Boom Boom Room LP)
Original Soul Boy feat. Tashan	Soul Survivors
R. Kelly	Step In The Name Of Love (Remix) (Chocolate Factory LP)
Richard Hartley & Soul Resurrection	Everything's Alright / Crying In The Dark / Save Me (Love Is All We Need LP)
Ruben Studdard	Superstar / How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (Soulful LP)
The New Lost Generation	Thinkin' bout cha (New Lost Generation, The LP)
Tower Of Power	Could've Done It Better / Remember Love / Happy 'bout That (Oakland Zone LP)
Vaneese Thomas	No Guarantees / 'Til You (A Woman's Love LP)
Wendell B	Good Times / No Doubt (Good Times LP)
Will Downing	King Of Fools / Daydreaming / Rhythm Of U & Me (Emotions LP)
Zapp	If You Would Love Me (Zapp VI Back By Popular Demand LP)

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

David Hudson [2009] - (Girl I'm Coming Home To) Something Good [Soul Junction #SJ504] v Al Green [2003] - Million To One [Blue Note #7243 5 93556]

Eagle eyed (or is it rabbit eared?) Gary Van Den Bussche spotted the similarities between these two songs on his radio show today.

David Hudson's "(Girl I'm Coming Home To) Something Good" was a previously unreleased 80s recording issued by Soul Junction on 7" vinyl in 2009. Gary then played Al Green's, album only track, "Million To One" from his 2003 album "I Can't Stop" and hey presto the backing is the same.

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Beyonce equals Quincy Jones with 28 Grammy Awards

By a twist of fate after only just posting a reworking of Quincy Jones 'Stuff Like That' by Danny Krivits, we wake up this morning with the announcement that Beyonce receives her 28th Grammy award (equalling the record of Quincy Jones) for Best R&B Performance for 'Black Parade' which does absolutely nothing for me, she also won one for Best Music Video for 'Brown Skin Girl' Beyoncé feat. Blue Ivy and Wizkid but that and the whole cronyism of the 'lovies' awards ceremonies is another story.  

How winning Album Of The Year for the third time could be put Taylor Swift in the same league as Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon (the only other artists to have won this accolade) is anyone's guess!

Whilst Beyonce's popularity is undoubtable, what on earth is she doing on this blog you may well ask?  Well the girl can 'sang' when she is given 'decent' material rather than the poppy R&B/hip-hop stuff that has made her an international star. It seems that everything she touches turns to gold .. or does it?  I've selected some tracks she released as singles that never charted, and to me at least, they represent some of her best material!

2003 - Summertime Feat. P. Diddy

The first being 'Summertime' Feat. P. Diddy from 'The Fighting Temptations' soundtrack in 2003. It's not the Gershwin classic, it's an original song.

2004 - The Closer I Get To You with Luther Vandross

The second is a duet with Luther Vandross onh a cover of Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway's The Closer I Get To You'. It was released on her debut album 'Dangerously In Love' in 2004 and as a single, and was also released as a longer version (6:25) on Luther's 'Dance With My Father' album. It didn't enter the Hot 100 despite winning a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By A Duo in 2004.

Long Version on 'Dance With My Father'

2005 - Wishing On A Star

The third track is her version of the Rose Royce classic 'Wishing On A Star' released as a single and featured in the movie 'Roll Bounce' in 2005. Again, this is another rare occasion that she didn't enter the Hot 100.

2008 - At Last

The final track is Etta James' 'At Last' from the movie Cadillac Records which only reached #67 on Hot 100.

Dwele [2003] - Find A Way [Virgin #7087 6 17622 1 1]

A 12" release from 'Subject' in 2003 from Dwele (Andwele Gardner) which was a minor hit in US (#42 R&B / #93 Hot 100).

Details

Format:	Single
Media:	12"
Label:	Virgin
Cat No:	7087 6 17622 1 1
Year:	2003
Key:	3A
BPM:	98
Value:	£1

Aaliyah v United Talents Of R&B v David Davis Feat. Elizabeth Dellinger - I Care 4 U

Three versions of a superb song written by Missy Elliot and Timbaland for Aaliyah (Aaliyah Dana Haughton) and originally recorded for her second album 'One In A Million' in 1996, but was withdrawn and re-recorded in 2000 for release on her 2001 self-titled album which was released only a month before her death. It was posthumously released as a single in 2003 and reached  #3 R&B and #16 Hot 100 but did nothing in UK.

Aaliyah [2003] - I Care 4U [Blackground #B0000241-11]

This, for me, this is easlity the best recording Aaliyah ever made. She was on her way to becoming a superstar and had released her third album just a month before her untimely death in a plane crash in Aug 2001 aged only 22. 

United Talents Of R&B [2002] - I Care 4 U [Big Eye #BIG 4228-2]

For some reason this is listed on Amazon as United Ladies Of Soul. It was released 12 Feb 2002 on a CD album called 'A Tribute To Aaliyah', before it was officially released as a pothumous single by Aaliyah.

David Davis Feat. Elizabeth Dellinger [2019] - I Care 4 U [3D Dynasty Music]

Released 28 Jun 2019 from an album 'Remembering Aaliyah' which consisted of covers of Aaliyah.

Details

Format:	Single/Album
Media:	12"/CD/Digital
Label:	See above
Cat No:	See above
Year:	2003/2002/2019
Key:	NA / / 5A / 5A
BPM:	N/A / 69 / 67
Value:	£1

Soul Switch Feat. Meli'sa Morgan [2003] - Don't Say Love (Soul Mix) [West End #WES 1018]

Soul Switch were Cato James and DJ Cameron who have only 2 singles listed, both of which featured Meli'sa Morgan on vocals, one from 1999 and this one from 2003.

Cato Jones also produced Meli'sa Morgan's 2005 album 'I Remember' which I posted a few tracks from a few days ago.

Emerald Jade [2003] - A New Classic [Breeze #BRZ 0001] (Full Album)

A classy jazz stepper from 2003 album 'A New Classic' by Emerald Jade.  It appears to be her only release which is surprising as the whole album sounds pretty good to me.  Still available for download on Amazon. 

Listen to Full Album here

I did notice that she does have two tracks which appear to have been released in 2018 on her YouTube channel.

You Bring Joy To My Life

The 'killer' track is You 'Bring Joy To My Life'. There are two versions, one is titled 'Joy 2 My Life (Dialogue)', but there's not much difference apart from some underlying dialogue at the beginning and towards the end of the latter.

Aretha Franklin [2003] - Holdin' On [Arista #82876-50174-2]

The 'Queen' was still making contemporary music in 2003 with this cool neo/modern soul tune from her album 'So Damn Happy'.  

This would be her penultimate album with original material with only 'A Woman Falling Out Of Love' following it in 2011 other than live or covers albums.

Mike Logan [2003] - Nice And Slow / Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay [Omnibus] (Full Album)

Just came across this updated version of Otis Redding's classic 'Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay' on a 2003 album 'Nice And Slow' from Mike Logan.  The title track is quite nice as well so I'll also post that.

In fact it's a very pleasant and laid back 'listening' album so here's a link to Full Album

Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay

A good update on the 60s classic.

Nice And Slow

A laid back and jazz infused stepper.

R. Kelly [2002] - Heaven I Need A Hug [Jive #01241-41849-2]

I thought it was timely to post this track whilst we are in the midst of UK Lockdown #2. It is taken from the 'Loveland' bonus disc which was issued with the US limited edition release of 'The Chocolate Factory' album in 2003.

Apparently 'Loveland' was scheduled to be the follow up album to 'TP-2' in Nov 2002, but was delayed due to heavy bootlegging.  It was then dropped and 'The Chocolate Factory' was released in 2003 with 7 tracks from 'Loveland' issued as a bonus disc on a special edition US release.  Loveland originally had 15 tracks.

Bootlegs of 'Love Land' have been blocked from sale on Discogs, hence I would imagine they are pretty hard to come by.

Richard Hartley & Soul Resurrection [2003] - Save Me [Shanachie #SH 5750]

Another CD only track from 2003 taken from 'Love I All We Need'. A gospel flavoured stepper.

There a few other good tracks on the album, the deep soul cut 'Crying In The Dark', a jazzy stepper 'Hold On' and 'Everything's Alright'.

John Stoddart [2003] - Falling For You [Reprise #47996-2]

The 'good' new releases are drying up a bit so let's go back and resurrect some releases from the turn of the century.  This is a CD/album only track on 'Wings To Walk This Road' released 2003 from John Stoddart.

Theres a couple of other decent tracks on the album including an updated version of The Five Stairsteps' 'Ooh Child', a nice jazz flavoured stepper 'Fly Away' and 'Anytime You Need A Friend'.

Whitney Houston [2020] - One Wish (For Christmas)

To complete a trio of Christmas record postings, Sony have released the first official video of Whitney's 'One Wish (For Christmas)', which was the only single released from her 2003 'One Wish: The Holiday Album'.

She is in fine voice on this gospel 'tinged' Christmas ballad.

BPM: 67 Key: 8B (C Major)

Alicia Keys [2003] - You Don't Know My Name [J #82876-56599-7]

  

This one may be a bit of a surprise as not rare at all but there are no boundaries on this blog to quality and this is sheer quality and hard to believe that it's now 17 years old as Alicia Keys is about to enter into her 20th anniversary of her debut album Songs In A Minor.  This came from her follow up album in 2003 The Diary Of Alicia Keys.

For the uninitiated, this samples the beautiful melody and piano riff from Main Ingredient's - Let Me Prove My Love To You which came out on the B side to Instant Love in 1976 having originally been on the 1975  'Shame On The World' album. As a result the price of this 45 has soared and you might find yourself having to shell out £40-£50 for a copy in decent condition!  You may be better of buying the album for around £10.

Main Ingredient [1976] - Let Me Prove My Love To You [RCA Victor #PB-10606]